Flooding in the Sahara Desert is filling lakes that have been dry for 50 years

An extreme deluge of rain in Morocco – about a year's worth in two days – brought much-needed water to some of the drier regions of the Saraha Desert, the Associated Press reported.

The North African country's government said September flooding was the worst in decades, particularly in the southeastern village of Rabat, where 10cm of rain fell in one day.

Lake Iriqui, a lakebed between Zagora and Tata that has been dry for 50 years, was shown to be filled by rainfall in images from NASA satellites.

Merzouga was also hit by rainfall.

Since less than 10 inches is typically seen there annually, people race through the puddles and areas of the oasis in 4×4 off-road vehicles.

The storm comes after six consecutive years of drought.

“It has been 30 to 50 years since we had so much rain in such a short period of time,” said Houssine Youabeb, who works with the General Directorate of Meteorology in Morocco.

He added that the rains could have years-long effects on the country's weather due to increased humidity.

Another impact of the September storm caused reservoirs to fill at a record pace, providing locals with additional sources of water.

As for drought relief, it is still too early to tell what impact the recent rains will have.

The storm killed 20 people between Morocco and neighboring Algeria and affected crop production.