New research has uncovered how powerful storms occasionally drench parts of the Sahara Desert, forming short-lived lakes and revealing unexpected climate connections. These rare weather events, often invisible in long-term climate averages, challenge assumptions about one of the driest places on Earth.
Unlikely Water In The Desert
The Sahara Desert is known for its vast, arid expanse. But on rare occasions, pockets of water suddenly appear—transforming parts of the desert into shimmering basins. One such area is Sebkha el Melah, a normally dry lakebed in northwestern Algeria.
In recent decades, it has experienced unexpected flooding after intense storms. Scientists wanted to understand how this happens.
Led by Dr. Moshe Armon from Hebrew University and Dr. Franziska Aemisegger of the University of Bern, researchers dug into 20 years of storm data. They examined how often heavy-precipitation events (HPEs) were linked to visible lake formation.
The results were surprising. Out of hundreds of storms between 2000 and 2021, only six were powerful enough to actually fill the lake.
A Rare Event In 2024
The key lies in how these storms move. Most lose their strength over the Atlas Mountains. But a few—driven by Atlantic extratropical cyclones—can curve around the high terrain and push deep into the desert.
When this happens, oceanic moisture flows freely, and rain falls over multiple days. This creates the runoff needed to temporarily fill basins like Sebkha el Melah.
In September 2024, satellite imagery confirmed another lake-filling event. Rainfall, fueled by the same type of large-scale cyclone patterns, reached far into the Sahara once again.
This repeating pattern suggests that while rare, these storms are not isolated. They follow a recognizable atmospheric route that bypasses traditional rain barriers.
Tracing Ancient Wetlands
The study published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences also explores how warming could affect future storms. If climate shifts continue, models predict that more moisture could be transported inland.
That doesn’t mean the Sahara will turn green. But short bursts of heavy rainfall could become more common—bringing temporary water, and possibly life, to otherwise dry regions.
These findings may also explain the Sahara’s mysterious wet past. Previous studies hinted at ancient lakes and wetlands scattered across the desert.
Now, scientists think that powerful, short-term storms—not gradual climate shifts—might have shaped some of these wetter phases. It adds a new layer to the story of how life once thrived in these harsh environments.
Looking Beyond Rainfall Totals
The research shows that annual rainfall stats don’t tell the full story. Averages overlook the extreme events that make the biggest impact.
Instead, scientists argue we need better models that track the intensity, duration, and path of individual storms—especially in arid regions like the Sahara.
These findings suggest that the world’s largest hot desert is not just a static sea of sand, but a dynamic landscape responding—sometimes suddenly—to shifts in atmospheric patterns.
I have seen on documentaries about the large quantities of water under the ground where they had been stored by Mother Nature for many, many years and is pure of today’s of disease. Living in the water are small fish, some small frogs and others, these trapped species are blind do to the light never gets down thru the depth of the Sand.
I believe that this is not so rare and that all the water we get from Mother Earth is easily accessible if it hasn’t already been absorbed in its travels. I have read about the ancient societies who learned about this do to the will to survive and prosper. When the waters shifted their direction they already had located a new source and cultivated the area to grow food and water to drink.