The driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert, is currently covered in a sea of freshly blossomed mauve-colored flowers. The region witnessed heaviest rains in the last 20 years which has changed the entire landscape.
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert in the world. But unusually good rains this year have given the region its most spectacular blooming of malva flowers in 18 years. But what caused these rains?
A strong and intensifying El-Nino usually translates into good rains for parts of South America. As a result, strong El-Nino years bring bonus rainfall for places situated to the east of the warmest ocean water on Earth.
This year, in March, 0.96 inches of rain was recorded in one day in parts of Atacama Desert. The figures may not be impressive on first look, but this is a lot for a place that hardly sees any rain. These rains caused flooding in the region as the dry Copiapo River went beyond its banks.
Locals are enjoying the view as more and more people are arriving at the scenic location. Photographers, both casual and professional, are spending a lot of time getting photographs of this unusual event. The look and feel of the entire valley has become extremely photogenic. To sum it up, it’s a good time to visit Chile.
(Featured Image Credit: rapidnewsnetwork.com)
