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Unprecedented Rains Flood Sahara Desert

Unprecedented rains have flooded the world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara, resulting in casualties among both locals and tourists and significant damage to energy infrastructure, BILD reports.

Heavy downpours have inundated desert regions of North Africa, severely impacting the small settlement of Merzouga in southeastern Morocco. The torrential rains have created lakes in the previously parched landscape. Flooding in both Morocco and Algeria has claimed nearly 20 lives, including tourists from Canada and Peru. The destructive floods have also caused major damage to energy systems, and water supply networks, destroyed crops, leaving many farmers devastated.

Houssin Youabeb, a representative of Morocco’s Meteorological Service, noted that such a massive amount of rainfall in such a short period has not been seen in the region for 50 years.

Prior to the floods, Morocco was suffering from severe drought, forcing farmers to abandon their fields, and leading to water restrictions in towns and villages. Some experts believe the heavy rains will help replenish underground water reserves relied upon by local communities.

According to the Associated Press (AP), in just two days in September, some areas of Morocco received more rainfall than they typically experience in an entire year. One of the hardest-hit areas was Tatu, where over 100 millimeters of rain was recorded in the village of Tagounite, located 450 kilometers south of the capital, Rabat, in just 24 hours.

Rushing waters have swept through the Sahara’s sands, passing ancient castles and desert flora. Notably, Lake Iriki, which had been dry for 50 years, has now been replenished.

Youabeb also warned that extratropical storms could drastically alter the region’s weather in the coming years or even months. This is due to high levels of moisture “suspended” in the air, with evaporation driving even more storms. At the same time, scientists suggest that global climate change has reduced the availability of freshwater from glaciers, with the World Meteorological Organization warning that access to freshwater could become even more difficult in the future.

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