Rabat – Morocco’s weather office forecasts another wave of locally heavy thunderstorms and gusts of wind in several provinces for Friday, May 14.
On Thursday, the National Directorate of Meteorology (DMN) announced in an orange-level notice thunderstorms that will concern the provinces of Safi, El Jadida, Casablanca, Rabat, Essaouira, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nouasser, Youssoufia, Berrechid, Ben Slimane, Temara-Skhirat, Sale, Sidi Bennour, and Mediouna.
The DMN also expects hail to hit the same regions.
From noon to midnight, stormy rainfalls will affect the provinces of Azilal, Al Houz, Beni Mellal, Boulemane, Taroudant, Taza, Khenifra, Settat, Sefrou, Fkih Ben Salah, and Midelt.
Moderate showers will also hit El Haouz, Meknes, El Hajeb, Chefchaouen, Bouleman, Ouazzane, Khenifra, and Khemisset on Thursday afternoon and overnight.
The alert is the fourth of its kind. The DMN issued three other notices in the past three days, informing citizens of gusts of winds and thunderstorms hitting regions across the country.
The thunderstorms will help Morocco’s agriculture sector which has suffered from a lack of rain. The rainfall will also help the country’s dam fill reach more than the recorded 49.7% reported in April.
Many regions in southern and central Morocco, however, are still suffering the effects of drought due to their geographic location.
At the beginning of May, the Mutual Moroccan Agricultural Insurance Company (MAMDA) allocated MAD 200 million ($20.2 million) in favor of farmers affected by drought in Marrakech-Safi’s Rehamna region.
On March 26, Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture announced plans to compensate farmers in the areas that experienced unfavorable climate conditions due to lack of rainfall during the winter season.
The ministry and MAMDA announced that they launched joint expertise operations at the beginning of March to detect the areas most affected by lack of rainfall.
