Unusual floods in 50 years create lakes in the Sahara Desert

An unusual downpour in the Sahara Desert in Morocco, North Africa, one of the driest in the world, caused flooding in half a century, creating a lake.

The Guardian and the Associated Press reported that two days of heavy rain exceeding the average annual precipitation caused flooding in southeastern Morocco last month.Satellite images from the U.S. space agency

show that the Sahara Desert, the world's largest desert, was temporarily formed by heavy rain at the time, taking the shape of a lake.

The Moroccan Meteorological Agency said more than 100 millimeters of rain fell in 24 hours near the Algerian border, 450 kilometers south of the capital Rabat, and it is the first time in 30 to 50 years that so much rain has been concentrated in such a short period of time.

Heavy rains in the region can change weather conditions in the months and years to come, he said. "As there is more moisture in the air, it increases moisture release and causes more storms."