Sahara Desert is turning from arid yellow to lush green. NASA captures this rare transformation

The Sahara Desert is undergoing a rare transformation after receiving heavy rainfall. The satellite imagesshowhow unusual weather conditions and heavy rainfall are turning the arid yellow regions into green patches.

By the end of September, some parts of the Sahara Desert would havereceived five times the average rainfall it gets during the month. Some areas of North Africa have been experiencing too much precipitation because of which its usually arid landscape is getting flooded, reportedLive Science.

The region does receive rainfall, however, the amountof it is generally a few inches of rain every year, as per the NASA Earth Observatory.

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But on September 7 and 8, the region faced an extratropical cyclone - which is a type of storm that has not been categorised as a tropical cyclone and has left behind a huge quantity of runoff water.

NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) captured the heavy rain in the Sahara Desert.

This is an instrument aboard two satellites which can capture the imagery of the entire surface of Earth every one to two days.

While comparing the satellite images, an increase in water in the region was observed after the thunderstorms. Different shades of blue were seen depending on the depth of the water and vegetation appeared green.

NASA Earth Observatory further reported that water was filled in one of the normally dry lakes in the Sahara Desert as per the satellite images.

Why is the Sahara Desert receiving heavy rainfall?

According to some scientists, the heavy rainfall in the Sahara Desert has been triggered by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

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The air from the Northern and Southern hemispheres meet in the ITCZ which is a belt close to the equator and can carry storms. This ITCZ has shifted towards the northern Sahara this year and triggered rainfall as per the scientists.

Meanwhile, other experts have said that the water in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea has turned warmer than usual which may have caused the rainfall, reported the outlet and added that it is possible for Sahara to continue receiving more rainfall in the future.

According to NASA's report, more than 38,000 incidents of extreme rainfall have happened over the Sahara, since the time weather records have beenmaintained. Nearly 30 per cent of that rainfall was received during the summers and some were associated withextratropical cyclones.

(With inputs from agencies)