Rabat – The General Directorate of Meteorology (DMG) has identified 2024 as the hottest year ever recorded in Morocco.
The weather office presented its findings on Morocco’s climate during an event on Friday, chaired by Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Barakra.
Moroccan news outlet Le360 quoted officials citing the assessment’s data, with Baraka saying that Morocco has “already surpassed a 2 degrees Celsius increase in 2024.”
He said that the country crossed the critical threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement, which warns of irreversible effects beyond a global warming range of 1.5 and 2 degrees.
The minister also acknowledged that 2024 was among the driest years since 1960, with rainfall dropping by over 45% compared to the annual average.
The drought, which has affected Morocco for over six consecutive seasons, has affected the country’s water resources, with snowfall shrinking to just 9,900 square kilometers. The number is far below the usual 50,000 square kilometers.
These extreme weather events triggered flash floods in the southeast of the country, causing “major flooding and human losses,” the general director of National Meteorology, Mohamed Dkhissi, said, pointing out that the lack of snowfall and weak precipitation have worsened hydrological conditions.
He did not, however, rule out the possibility of a wetter year in 2026, reaffirming the Office’s commitment to support the most vulnerable sectors.
Drought in Morocco prompted the introduction of a series of measures, including the cancellation of Eid Al Adha sacrifice ritual this year due to the notable decrease in the country’s livestock population.
Earlier this month, the Moroccan government pledged a new support plan for livestock producers to improve their working conditions and to rebuild the national herd.
The new approach includes easing the debt load of small and medium-scale breeders, with the government allocating $70 million to restructure loans for nearly 50,000 farmers.
The program also includes subsidies to reduce the cost of feed, with authorities setting the price of barley at MAD 1.5 per kilogram, capped at seven million quintals.
Morocco also banned the slaughtering of female goat to contribute to the rebuilding of the national herd.
