The Sahara desert is one of the driest places on the planet. But now its seas of sand have turned into seas of water and its eternal brown color has turned into a lively green. All because of the two days of torrential rains that occurred in Morocco in September.
NASA has revealed several images of the desert transformation that leave people in awe. From space, it can be observed that the spots that had appeared in the Sahara are actually small lakes formed by the accumulation of water after the abundant rainfall.
Another effect of the unusual rains is the resurrection of Lake Iriqui, between Zagora and Tata. This water reservoir had been dry for 50 years and is now full of water. "It had been between 30 and 50 years since we had so much rain in such a short time," explained Houssine Youabeb, an official from the meteorological agency of Morocco to AP.
Also surprising is the green belt that the desert has transformed into. Where there was only sand before, the humidity and water have caused abundant vegetation to grow, even visible from the satellites deployed by the aerospace agency.
The September rains left 11 dead in Morocco. Several provinces in the center of the country suffered floods after the heavy rainfall, which caused flash floods and damage to homes. The rainfall recorded in those two days represents approximately half of the rains that these regions experience throughout the year and, in some areas, exceeded the average annual amount.