Sahara Desert Suddenly Flooded by Thunderstorms, Lake Dry for 50 Years Now Filled with Water

When talking about the Sahara desert, everyone probably thinks of the intense heat and vast, dry sand. But surprisingly, many areas of this desert have been flooded after heavy rains.

Rare heavy rains have left many areas of the Sahara desert with cool waters, leaving more water than at any time in decades.

The Sahara Desert is one of the driest places on earth and at this time of year it hardly ever rains. But the Moroccan government said two days of heavy rain recently brought more than the annual average in some areas.

The desert in southeastern Morocco is one of the driest places in the world, yet it is now flooded. (Photo: AP).

Thunderstorms have created a strange image of water filling the sands of the Sahara. NASA satellites have shown the overflowing of Lake Iquiri , a famous lake that has been dry for 50 years.

Thunderstorms have brought more rain than any other time in decades to the Sahara desert. (Photo: AP).

According to meteorologists, rains in the Sahara Desert like this are extratropical storms, which can change the region's weather for months, even years to come, because the air holds more moisture, evaporates more, and in turn creates more thunderstorms or storms.

A bus takes tourists to a lake created by rare heavy rains in the desert town of Merzouga (Morocco). (Photo: AP).

Heavy rainfall is rare in the region, where much of Morocco has been suffering from drought for six years in a row, according to the AP. But it's unclear how much the rain will alleviate the drought. In fact, water has washed over the sand, killing more than 20 people in Morocco and Algeria, and has damaged many farmers' crops. So governments in those countries have been providing emergency funds, especially in areas affected by the earthquake a year ago.