Algerian Sahara, September 5, 2024 – An extraordinary meteorological event is brewing in the heart of the Sahara, one of the driest regions on the planet.

According to experts, the desert could experience precipitation in September exceeding the usual average for this month by more than 500%.

This reveals a study published in the Washington Post, which evokes the imminent formation of floods and floods of exceptional magnitude in the Sahara, affecting Algeria, Libya, and certain Sahel countries, during the first ten days of the month.

The latest data from the American Numerical Weather Prediction (GFS) model indicates that the Sahara could receive, over the coming weeks, more than five times the average amount of rain usually recorded in August and September.

Such precipitation in the desert, much of which is located in Algeria, is a sporadic meteorological phenomenon, occurring on average once a decade. This phenomenon could signal unusual atmospheric disturbances and a change in global weather patterns.

The Sahara Desert — one of driest places on the planet, where rain is practically unheard of at this time of year — is about to experience an exceptionally rare deluge.

Unprecedented torrential rains in the heart of the Sahara: an exceptional climatic anomaly

Severe storms are expected over Mali, Niger, Chad, certain regions of the Algerian Sahara and Mauritania. This precipitation is mainly linked to the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a band of storms and low pressure moving east to west across central Africa, where trade winds from the northern and southern hemispheres converge.

These same downpours that flood the central belt of Africa are also the cause of many Atlantic hurricanes. The main hurricane development zone in the Atlantic, located between Africa and the Caribbean, where classic long-lasting hurricanes form, feeds on stormy areas associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

The Sahara is thus expected to face local flooding, with the rains moving further north towards Algeria than usual, as the report indicates.

Regarding this rare phenomenon, the famous American hurricane hunter Adam Luchio commented in a post: “An infrequent event that we are experiencing, which could only happen once every 1.4 million years. years. Rains in the African Sahara! Something strange is happening in Africa! We haven’t talked about it much, but an unprecedented event has occurred throughout the Sahara region of North Africa, where tropical waves are heading towards the north of the region instead of the Atlantic Ocean. This is one of the reasons our hurricane season has been so calm. »