In the world famous Sahara, a 3.6 million-square mile desert that receives on average less than 10 inches of rain, several regions were flooded this September with 8 inches of rain in 48 hours. 

The flooding created severe conditions in both remote areas as well as cities such as Morocco, Rabat, and the town of Merzouga, leaving crops destroyed and more than 20 dead. 

The impact was so significant because these conditions are highly irregular and scientists believe this recent rainfall was caused by climate change, specifically increasing temperatures and sea levels.

The flooding across the sandy landscape could very possibly cause even more future rain in the Sahara. With the added moisture in the air along with continuously increasing temperatures, scientists predict that rainfall will be heavier and more frequent across the desert, especially in the next few months. 

The lasting effects will not stop there.

Sand and dust from the Sahara has helped to control hurricanes. Large bodies of sand rise up and move westward across the Atlantic Ocean, blocking solar radiation, which cools the surface of the ocean surrounding the hurricane.This in turn diminishes the force of the hurricane. With flooding across the Sahara, less sand will be able to reach these Hurricanes and help to either dismantle or contain hurricanes in the Atlantic. This may lead to stronger and more frequent hurricanes. 

We are already seeing the potential correlation between the sahara flooding and hurricanes. 

In late September hurricane Helene, a category four storm, hit Florida and ravaged states across the South East. Just over two weeks later, hurricane Milton hit Tampa Florida. The storm quickly became a category 5 and caused massive destruction across Northern Florida. 

Josie Garthwaite from the Stanford Report wrote that the severity of these storms could be linked to the lack of sand from the Sahara available to control them, leaving the storms with the freedom to grow stronger, faster.

It is safe to say that we may have to get used to the new reality of catastrophic hurricanes being a part of life. 

The bigger question is, how will we combat this?

While there is not much scientists can directly do to stop Hurricanes, there are steps that we can take to diminish the impact hurricanes have. 

Preserving coastal wetlands could have a major impact on absorbing storm surges, although this would not stop the effects completely. New construction should also be built in areas that are not typically affected by hurricanes. This could be difficult since hurricane paths are becoming more erratic. So, no matter where housing is built, building codes should be updated to withstand severe weather, including flooding and strong winds. 

The truth is, the earth is changing. Humans are entering uncharted territory and if we want to save our planet, and ourselves, work needs to be done. It won’t be easy, in fact, it might be impossible.