The average annual rainfall in the northern (sub-tropical) part of the Sahara is about 3". The tropical southern part has an average annual rainfall of about 5". http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_land/saha_cl.shtml

Yes, it does. According to Wikipedia: "The desert landforms of the Sahara are shaped by wind (eolian) or by occasional rains..." "Most of the rivers and streams in the Sahara are seasonal or intermittent, the chief exception being the Nile River, which crosses the desert from its origins in central Africa to empty into the Mediterranean. Underground aquifers sometimes reach the surface, forming oases, including the Bahariya, Ghardaïa, Timimoun, Kufrah, and Siwah." "To the north, the Sahara reaches to the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt and portions of Libya, but in Cyrenaica and the Magreb, the Sahara borders Mediterranean forest, woodland, and shrub ecoregions of northern Africa, which have a Mediterranean climate characterized by a winter rainy season." "To the south, the Sahara is bounded by the Sahel, a belt of dry tropical savanna with a summer rainy season that extends across Africa from east to west." BUT "The Sahara has one of the harshest climates in the world. The prevailing north-easterly wind often causes the sand to form sand storms and dust devils.[18] Precipitation, while rare, is not unknown. Half of the Sahara receives less than 2 cm of rain a year, with the rest receiving up to 10 cm a year.[19] The rainfall happens very rarely, but when it does it is usually torrential when it occurs after long dry periods, which can last for years."

in a good year , it could get a few inches in the winter rainy season

I went to the Sahara Desert in April 09 to take part in the Marathon Des Sables race- and we arrived in the desert amidst torrential rain and floods! The camp was washed away and it rained for two days! We started the race the third day and didn't see anymore rain (apart from a 5 minute shower at 2am a few days later) but there were still floods around. So it does rain in the Sahara Desert!!