A rare deluge of rain in southeastern Morocco has transformed parts of the Sahara Desert, creating blue lagoons among palm trees and sand dunes and providing much-needed water to some of the driest areas.

In September, two days of rainfall exceeded annual averages in regions that typically receive less than 10 inches of rain, with one village recording over 3.9 inches in just 24 hours.

NASA satellites observed water filling Lake Iriqui, which had been dry for 50 years, illustrating the rarity of such events.

Meteorologists attribute the rainfall to an extratropical storm, which may alter future weather patterns in the region, CBS News has reported.

While the rains offer hope for refilling groundwater aquifers and reservoirs, they also caused significant flooding, resulting in over 20 deaths and damage to crops, prompting the Moroccan government to allocate emergency relief funds.

Written by B.C. Begley