The arid region sometimes develops lakes after heavy rain, hinting at how the desert may have once had a different climate.

An unusual early September cyclone drenched large parts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, filling dry lakes and rivers. New satellite imagery from NASA shows the impact of the deluge.

Heavy rain fell across the northeastern part of the Sahara Desert during September, producing large lakes of floodwater in the sand and creating surreal scenery in the process. It was the most rain in a short time to have fallen in this region in several decades.