A rare large rain storm in the Sahara desert created lagoons of water, nourishing some of its driest regions like never before. The Moroccan government reported that two days of September rainfall exceeded annual averages, particularly in Tata and Tagounite.
The storms caused over 20 fatalities in Morocco and Algeria and damaged farmers’ harvests, prompting emergency relief funds. The flooding also filled a lake that had been dry for more than 50 years.

Experts said the unusual rainfall was due to a combination of factors including climate change-caused shifts in weather patterns.