In one of the rarest of incidents, the Sahara Desert turned into a blue lagoon after heavy rains transformed its arid landscape. The floods have left blue lagoons of water among the palm trees and sand dunes of the Sahara Desert. Rain is an extremely rare phenomenon in this desert of south-eastern Morocco.

According to the Moroccan government, two days of rainfall in September exceeded the annual average in many areas that receive less than 250 millimeters of rain annually, including Tata, one of the most affected areas. The village of Tagounite, about 450 kilometers south of the capital Rabat, received more than 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain in a 24-hour period.

Storms worsened the situation and the rain became more intense. Many people shared pictures and videos of this rare incident on their social media handles.

“It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve seen so much rain in such a short period of time,” Houssin Youabbe of Morocco’s Directorate General of Meteorology said, speaking to The Independent. He further explained how these rains could change the direction of the region’s weather in the coming months and years. However, it is not all bad. Reports also show that this unexpected weather phenomenon has provided some relief to the most drought-stricken areas.

Morocco has suffered severe drought for the past six years, causing the country to face huge challenges in terms of water supply and agriculture. With the changing situation, the recent rains are expected to play a big role in recharging the groundwater aquifers.

According to reports, this rain caused flash floods, destroying crops in some agricultural areas and causing loss of 20 lives.

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