The Atacama desert is usually the driest place on earth, but severe storms earlier this year have resulted in a spectacular injection of colour.

The heavy deluge in March fertilised flower seeds which had lay dormant for years, creating a pink carpet covering every hill for as far as the eye can see.

It’s said the transformation occurs once every 5–7 years, although this riot of colour has been labelled “unprecedented”.

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“It occurred in a very particular way because we have not had such a large flowering in the past 18 years. In 2010, we had a long flowering but already this year, 2015, has surpassed all the previous ones,” Rodrigo Ruiz, acting regional director of Chile’s National Tourism Service, told the International Business Times.

Life and death: storms caused the beautiful blooms. Photo: Pinterest

The Atacama usually receives on average 15 millimetres of rain a year, but this year’s downpours saw up to 23mm hit certain areas in a day, causing mudslides and killing 28 people.

While the shocking pink carpet has garnered the most attention, other areas boast explosions of multi-coloured blooms, mixing green, yellow and purple.

Desierto Florido. #Atacama #Chile 2015 pic.twitter.com/ieVFs7Yj3O

— Patricia Sirebrenik (@pattysire) October 18, 2015

The rains have also lured a variety of little-seen wildlife to the desert surface, with rodents, birds, lizards and insects feasting on the blooms. The transformation has attracted lots of tourists to the usually barren area, with many flocking to take pictures of the stunning colours.

Atacama desert #Chile – Flowering desert – Wonders of nature pic.twitter.com/oilqlse06z — Sayonara Plaza (@CulturadelMundo) October 24, 2015