In a climate phenomenon that could upset the weather, tropical humidity invades the Sahara Desert, heralding severe climate change.

2025-07-15 2025-07-15T08:00:54Z
عامر المعايطة
عامر المعايطة
كاتب مُحتوى جوّي

Arab Weather - Meteorologists at Arab Weather are monitoring the latest developments in the recurring thunderstorms in the Maghreb and North Africa. The phenomenon of tropical moisture creeping northward toward the Sahara Desert during the summer has become a focus of scientific and media attention in recent years, and is a clear indicator of accelerating climate disruption.

Experts add that the Sahara Desert in North Africa is considered one of the driest regions in the world and rarely experiences rainfall throughout the year except for short periods in limited areas, for the following reasons:

  • Due to its geographical location, the Sahara Desert is considered a tropical high-pressure region, where downdrafts are almost always active and limit cloud formation.
  • The Sahara Desert is far from sources of moisture (oceans and seas), so there are not enough warm sea currents to push moisture inland.

Tropical humidity creeps into the Sahara Desert in a scene that embodies the magnitude of global climate change.

However, in recent years, thunderstorms have become a frequent phenomenon in the Maghreb countries during the summer, especially in the dry desert regions and the Sahara Desert, particularly the regions within Algeria and Morocco.

In a scene that embodies the magnitude of global climate change, the tropical belts, which are supposed to be active within the boundaries of the tropics, have now extended noticeably into northern Africa and the Sahara Desert. Cumulus clouds and thunderstorms have become a frequent sight during the summer in these regions, which are supposed to be the driest and most rain-scarce regions on Earth.

A detailed scientific explanation of the phenomenon of tropical humidity creeping towards the Sahara Desert.

There is no doubt that the rise in global temperature due to climate change has a major role in the development of this phenomenon. Here we highlight several scientific reasons believed to be the reason for the emergence of this phenomenon after God’s will, and we summarize them as follows:

  • Global warming has changed pressure and monsoon patterns and increased the northward expansion of tropical moisture.
  • The surface temperature of the desert increases during the summer, with temperatures rising significantly over the Sahara Desert. This leads to the formation of strong thermal depressions, which attract tropical moisture from the Gulf of Guinea and the West African coast.
  • As a result, waves of high humidity occur deep in the Sahara Desert, accompanied by the formation of cumulus clouds, sudden thunderstorms, and rare, localized rainfall.
This article was written originally in Arabic and is translated using a 3rd party automated service. ArabiaWeather is not responsible for any grammatical errors whatsoever.
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