Sahara Desert faces first floods in 50 years. View the shocking images

For the first time in over 50 years, the Sahara Desert—a place synonymous with arid landscapes and endless sand—has been struck by catastrophic floods.

In a dramatic twist, two days of relentless rainfall in southeastern Morocco unleashed torrents that transformed the parched desert into a flooded expanse, a sight unseen for decades. Tagounite, a remote village 450 kilometers south of Rabat, was at the center of this extraordinary event, recording more than 100mm of rainfall in just 24 hours, far exceeding the region’s yearly average.

Satellite images captured the astonishing rebirth of Lake Iriqui, a dry lake bed untouched by water for half a century, now refilled in the wake of the deluge. Morocco's meteorology officials called it an unparalleled event, with meteorologist Houssine Youabeb noting that it had been decades since such intense rainfall hit the region in such a short time.

The deluge, caused by an extratropical storm, raises questions about the future of the Sahara's weather patterns. As atmospheric moisture increases, so does the potential for more frequent and powerful storms in this once reliably dry landscape. The impact was devastating—claiming 18 lives and even extending into regions still reeling from an earthquake the previous year.

The Sahara Desert, a vast stretch covering over 9 million square kilometers, faces growing threats from extreme weather, driven by global warming. With dammed reservoirs refilling at unprecedented rates, scientists now warn that such dramatic weather events may no longer be rare.

Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, stressed that rising global temperatures are disrupting the planet’s water cycles, leading to both more severe floods and worsening droughts. “A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which is conducive to heavy rainfall. More rapid evaporation worsens drought conditions,” she said.