Unexpected rainfall has turned part of the arid Atacama Desert, in northern Chile, into a colorful carpet of flowers. /Chinanews Photo

Thanks to the rich precipitation, more than 200 species of plants have woken up from hibernation and came into full bloom. /Chinanews Photo

Besides the barren plains at the Poles, Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. The average rainfall is about 15 millimeters per year. /Chinanews Photo

The “flowering desert” scene is unique to Atacama Desert and only occurs every five to seven years. This time, however, it only took two years since the spectacle was last seen in 2015. /Chinanews Photo