Flooding in the Sahara desert fills lake that had been dry for 50 years

An extreme onslaught of rain in Morocco — about a year’s worth in two days — brought desperately needed water to some of the Saraha desert’s more arid regions, the Associated Press reported.The North African nation’s government said that the September deluge was the most seen in decades, particularly in the southeastern village of Rabat, where 4 inches of rain poured in a day.Lake Iriqui, a lake bed between Zagora and Tata that had been dry for 50 years, was filled by the rainfall in images from NASA satellites.Merzouga was also slammed with precipitation.As typically under 10 inches are seen annually there, people sped through the puddles and areas of the oasis in 4×4 all-terrain vehicles.

The storm comes after six straight years of droughts.“It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time,” said Houssine Youabeb, who works with Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology.He added that the rains may have a years-long effect on the country’s weather, thanks to increased moisture in the air.Another impact of the September storm resulted in reservoirs refilling at a record pace and bringing additional water sources to locals.As far as alleviating the drought, it is still too soon to tell what effect the recent rains will have.

The storm claimed 20 lives between Morocco and neighboring Algeria and harmed crop production....