--- title: "Our Climate Is So Screwed Up, It Rained in the Sahara Desert" description: "Parts of the Sahara Desert in southeastern Morocco experienced a surprise deluge of heavy rains last month, leaving behind lake-filled oases." date: "2024-10-10" modified: "2024-10-10" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rain-sahara-desert" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "droughts" - "sahara desert" - "the digest" --- # Our Climate Is So Screwed Up, It Rained in the Sahara Desert ![Parts of the Sahara Desert in southeastern Morocco experienced a surprise deluge of heavy rains last month, leaving behind lake-filled oases.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Darude Rainstorm How messed up is planet Earth's climate? It's rain-in-the-Sahara-level messed up, apparently. As [*The Associated Press* reports](), a region of the Sahara Desert in southeastern Morocco last month experienced a surprise deluge of rainstorms, which has transformed some parts of the arid North African landscape into lake-filled oases. Rain is exceptionally uncommon in the Sahara, which is one of the dryest places on the planet. It's especially uncommon during the late summer season. Per the *AP*, the Moroccan government reported that just two days of rain in September surpassed annual averages in areas that usually get less than ten inches of rain per year. One town called Tagounite got nearly four inches in one day — an eye-popping amount of water for the [drought-stricken region](). "It's been 30 to 50 years since we've had this much rain in such a short space of time," Houssine Youabeb of the Moroccan General Directorate of Meteorology told the *AP*. Experts are hopeful that the rainwater will replenish the dry region's subterranean aquifers, which locals rely on for water as the [region's years-long drought]() pushes on. And though the rain didn't *end* the drought by any means, the mysterious weather event marks a welcome respite from the desert's prolonged dry spell — and the palm tree-laced lagoons left in the rains' wake are a site to behold. https://twitter.com/AP/status/1843676979259900362 ## Drought Conditions According to the *AP*, Youabeb, and others are predicting that the unforeseen storms are likely to significantly alter the area's climate in the long term. That's because such a significant amount of rainfall in such a short period will add a consequential amount of water to the surrounding atmosphere. That likely means more storms — and with them, hopefully, more lasting water and an eventual end to drought conditions. To that end: in [another very bright spot](), NASA imagery showed water running towards Lake Iriqui, a lakebed that's been dry for around half a century. To be sure, the rain was unexpected — and, well, bizarre — and scientists still aren't sure what caused it in the first place. Tragically, while the rainfall alleviated drought conditions for the time being, the resulting flooding led to the [deaths of more than 20 people]() in Morocco and Algeria. **More on the climate:** [*Climate Change Is Drying Up All the World’s Rivers at an Alarming Rate*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()