Rabat – Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) expects thunderstorms to hit several provinces across the country on Wednesday.
The weather office issued an orange-level alert notice, forecasting thunderstorms producing between 20 and 25 millimeters of rainfall for several provinces, including Berkane and Nador.
The weather office also expects hail and wind from 3 p.m. today until 11 p.m., affecting Taourirt and Guercif.
Morocco has been experiencing strong heatwaves in recent weeks, but forecasts indicate a noticeable change in temperatures for several days.
The temperature in Rabat will be between 26 and 27 degrees in Rabat.
Meanwhile, southern and central provinces remain with temperatures up to 34 degrees.
Weather apps forecast temperatures between 34 and 36 degrees in Marrakech this week and in the upcoming weeks.
Last week, several videos documented flooding in several rural areas due to thunderstorms.
New data from Morocco’s Directorate of Water Research and Planning showed that dam reserves declined by over 1.27 billion cubic meters between mid-May and mid-August.
The daily data said reserves totaled 11,681.67 million cubic meters as of Tuesday compared to 12,953 million cubic meters three months earlier.
The national filling rate fell from 76% to 68.6%, the data said, showing a decline of over 7 percentage points.
The noticeable change is mainly due to high temperatures Morocco has been facing in the summer season – a recurring seasonal situation in the North African kingdom.
Morocco’s government acknowledged an improvement in water reserve rates earlier this year compared to past seasons, which saw Morocco witness at least six years of drought.
Rainfall, including thunderstorms that caused severe flooding, contributed to the relief but also caused damage to agriculture in addition to human losses – especially in Safi last year in December.
Several dams witnessed drops, including the Moulouya, which experienced a seasonal decline from 73.7% to 57.73%, and the Tensift, which also lost over 12% percentage points.
Moroccan news outlet Le360 reported that no dam escaped the seasonal decline.
In July, the World Bank projected Morocco’s growth to remain solid at 4.2% in 2026 thanks to investment and domestic demand.
“Over the longer term, recurrent drought poses a continued risk to agricultural output and water-dependent sectors,” the report said, while acknowledging Morocco’s economic resilience.
The report further emphasized that “Morocco’s growth also remains sensitive to the pace of economic recovery among its main European trading partners. Domestically, structural labor market challenges persist, particularly the low participation of women in the workforce.”
