Extreme downpours hit Morocco. In the southern part of the country, the Sahara desert has turned into a lake in places. This is another dangerous weather event that has occurred in this part of the world in recent weeks.
A zone of heavy rain passed over Morocco on Thursday. In some regions, rainfall in 48 hours amounted to 200 liters per square meter. Heavy rainfall caused flash floods – this is the second such incident within a dozen or so days.
A desert like a seaside beach
The scale of the flood is shown by an aerial recording near the town of Merzouga in south-eastern Morocco. You can see picturesque Saharan dunes, which are partially underwater, and submerged palm trees.
Morocco's General Directorate of Meteorology reported on social media that the country experienced particularly unstable and humid weather in September and October. The threat does not go away – warnings against storms and downpours were also issued for Friday.
According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over the past few months, downpours have contributed to the death of over 1,460 people in countries bordering the Sahara. Although extreme downpours are rare there, they may become more frequent due to ongoing climate change.
Main photo source: Reuters