Sahara desert floods for first time in 50 years

An extremely rare deluge of rain has left some parts of the Sahara Desert flooded for the first time in half a century.

South-eastern Morocco’s desert is among the most arid places in the world and rarely experiences rain in late summer.

But two days of intense rainfall last month exceeded yearly averages in several areas that typically see less than 250mm each year.

In Tagounite, a village about 280 miles south of the capital Rabat, more than 100mm was recorded in just 24 hours.

The storms provided more rainfall than had been seen in decades, leaving striking images of bountiful water gushing through the Saharan sands amid castles and desert flora.

In desert communities frequented by the many tourists who visit the Sahara, 4x4s motored through the puddles and residents surveyed the scene in awe.

‘It’s been 30 to 50 years since we’ve had this much rain in such a short space of time,’ Houssine Youabeb, of Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology, said.