![Unusual rainfall brings winter flowers to Chile's Atacama desert](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/af/5a/19/Unusual-rainfall-brings-winter-flow-071298.jpg)
-
UK PM tells China's Xi he hopes for 'honest' discussions
-
EU approves Moderna's RSV vaccine for over 60s
-
England turn screw on Sri Lanka after Smith century
-
Smith's first Test century leaves England on top against Sri Lanka
-
Norris fastest in first Dutch Grand Prix practice
-
Hamas official slams Israeli 'refusal' of Gaza deal over border troops
-
BTS' Suga says 'very sorry' over drunk e-scooter incident
-
US businessman Textor open to selling Palace shares to buy Everton
-
Bracing for war: Lebanese hospitals ready emergency plans
-
Howe hopes to keep Trippier amid exit talk
-
Stocks mostly rise as Powell speech looms
-
Mbappe set for 'beautiful' Bernabeu debut: Ancelotti
-
Arteta to hold contract talks with Arsenal after transfer window
-
Berlin zoo panda gives birth to twins for second time
-
Gundogan returns to Man City from Barcelona
-
Modi meets Zelensky on historic Ukraine visit
-
Slot 'trusts' Liverpool squad without signings
-
Swiftie show or drinking binge? F1 stars on their break
-
Iceland's volanic eruption expands as lava flows from second fissure
-
Israelis in Cairo for Gaza talks but disputes linger
-
Arsenal's Premier League credentials face Villa test, Man Utd travel to Brighton
-
Harris and Trump race to US election photo finish
-
Nestle shares fall after CEO's surprise departure
-
Sicily divers seek tycoon's daughter after superyacht sinking
-
Struggling F1 outfit Alpine sign Doohan for 2025 season
-
Energy-hungry Singapore eyes deserts, forest for renewables
-
Flood deluge worsens in Bangladesh with millions affected
-
Macron kicks off tense talks on new French government
-
Stocks mostly rise ahead of Powell, yen after BoJ rate hint
-
Indian PM Modi visits Ukraine to advocate peace
-
Humpback whale freed from Sydney Harbour after 22-hour ordeal
-
Harris vows 'new way forward' for America as she accepts nomination
-
Pacific leaders confront 'polycrisis' of rising seas and climbing tensions
-
UK Labour's move to tax private schools stirs passions
-
Taiwan leader urges unity on Chinese attack anniversary
-
Takeaways from the Democratic National Convention
-
Can Ligue 1 arrest decline after summer of crisis?
-
Harris accepts Democratic nomination with pledge of 'new way forward'
-
Alibaba to upgrade Hong Kong listing amid profit drop
-
Asian stocks slip with Wall St ahead of Powell, yen rises
-
Bayern plot to recapture Bundesliga with Leverkusen in crosshairs
-
Harris accepts Democratic nomination with vow to unite America
-
Conte and Napoli reeling after horror Serie A start
-
Indian desert school's unique design offers respite from heat
-
China's 'throwing eggs' card game wins fans and official censure
-
Volcano erupts in Iceland, sixth since December
-
Paris Paralympics to showcase best of disability sport
-
Bosnia volleyball team sets sights on Paralympic glory
-
Mbappe ready for Bernabeu bow as Ancelotti seeks Madrid balance
-
Australia tackles poor Great Barrier Reef water quality
![Unusual rainfall brings winter flowers to Chile's Atacama desert](https://www.americanmarconiwirelessnews.com/media/shared/articles/af/5a/19/Unusual-rainfall-brings-winter-flow-071298.jpg)
Unusual rainfall brings winter flowers to Chile's Atacama desert
Large swaths of the Atacama desert, the driest on the planet, have been covered with purple and white flowers after unusual rainfall patterns in northern Chile.
Normally, such a desert bloom occurs every few years in the southern springtime -- if and when conditions are just right -- blanketing thousands of square kilometers.
But the flowers are making an appearance now in winter, something that hasn't happened since 2015, experts say.
Cesar Pizarro, head of biodiversity conservation at the National Forestry Corporation, told AFP that 11-12 millimeters (nearly half an inch) of rainfall in April "plus low cloud cover that has been very intense in the area and that wets these surfaces every night, helped activate these plants."
While the famed spring flowering desert spreads over 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 square miles), this winter efflorescence is covering only a few hundred square kilometers.
When the bloom is at its peak, more than 200 plant species blossom. Recent weather conditions appear to have mainly suited the "pata de guanaco," a purple flower that barely requires water and prefers sandy sites.
Scientists have not yet determined whether this phenomenon, also recorded in the winter of 2015, "is directly related to climate change or not, or to the El Nino or La Nina phenomena," said Pizarro.
M.Thompson--AMWN