Desert bloom

The phenomenon consists of the blossoming of a wide variety of flowers during early-mid spring in years when rainfall is unusually high.

The blossoming occurs when the unusual level of rainfall reaches seeds and bulbs that have been in a latent or dormant state, and causes them to germinate and flower in early spring.

Climatically, the event is related to the El Niño phenomenon,[3] a band of anomalously warm ocean water temperatures that occasionally develops off the western coast of South America, which can lead to an increase in evaporation and therefore precipitation.

In response to this, the Chilean Government has established a series of prohibitions and controls, in addition to informative campaigns to the public, and especially to tourists, in order to limit the damage.

[8][irrelevant citation] In a single day in March 2015, parts of the area received 23 mm (0.91 in) of rain from El Niño, causing flowering in September and October 2015.