Darude rainstorm
How confused is the climate on planet Earth? Apparently the rain-in-the-Sahara level is in disarray.
If The Associated Press reportsLast month, a region of the Sahara in southeastern Morocco experienced a surprising deluge of downpours, turning some parts of the arid North African landscape into lake-filled oases.
Rain is exceptionally unusual in the Sahara, one of the driest places on earth. It is especially uncommon during the late summer season.
According to the APthe Moroccan government reported that just two days of rain in September exceeded the annual average in areas that typically receive less than six inches of rain per year. One town called Tagounite received almost four inches of water in one day – an eye-watering amount of water for the drought-stricken region.
“It has been 30 to 50 years since we have had so much rain in such a short time,” said Houssine Youabeb of the Moroccan Directorate General of Meteorology. AP.
Experts are hopeful that the rainwater will replenish the arid region’s underground aquifers, on which locals depend for water as a water supply. the years of drought in the region pushes on. And although the rain didn’t end the drought by any measure, the mysterious weather event marks a welcome respite from the desert’s prolonged dry spell – and the palm-lined lagoons left in the rain’s wake are a place to behold.
https://twitter.com/AP/status/1843676979259900362
Drought conditions
According to the APYouabeb and others predict that the unforeseen storms are likely to significantly change the area’s climate in the long term. That’s because such a significant amount of precipitation in such a short period of time will add a huge amount of water to the surrounding atmosphere.
That probably means more storms – and hopefully more water and ultimately an end to the drought. To this end: in another bright spotImages from NASA show water flowing towards Lake Iriqui, a lake that has been dry for about half a century.
To be fair, the rain was unexpected – and, well, bizarre – and scientists are still not sure exactly what caused it.
Tragically, while the rainfall temporarily alleviated the drought, the resulting floods led to the consequences of the drought deaths of more than twenty people in Morocco and Algeria.
More about the climate: Climate change is drying up all the world’s rivers at an alarming rate
