Morocco Records Hottest Year in Over a Century, Climate Report Warns

The Directorate General of Meteorology (DGM) is sounding the alarm. In its annual climate report, it reveals that 2023 has been a black year for Morocco.

With a national average temperature exceeding the normal by 1.77°C, it is the hottest year ever recorded since the beginning of the 20th century. A record that sends shivers down the spine.

That’s not all. The DGM specifies that the mercury has risen above seasonal norms for 79% of the days of the year. August 11, 2023 will remain etched in the annals: Agadir recorded a historic heat peak of 50.4°C, crossing for the first time the symbolic 50°C mark in Morocco.

In addition to this infernal heat, the country has been hit hard by an unprecedented drought. With a rainfall deficit of 48%, 2023 is the driest year in at least 80 years. A critical situation that has undermined the agricultural sector, the 2022-2023 campaign having suffered a precipitation deficit of nearly 30%.

To make matters worse, Morocco has weathered more than twenty extreme weather events, including an intense heat wave in late April that hit the entire southwest of Europe and northern Africa.

This alarming assessment is part of a global upward trend in temperatures, fueled by the increase in greenhouse gases. According to the DGM, 2023 is the hottest year ever observed on a planetary scale, with an average temperature exceeding pre-industrial levels by 1.45°C.

Faced with this climate emergency, the DGM calls for a general mobilization to limit the damage and adapt to these new realities. It is committed to providing reliable data and high-performance climate services to help the various socio-economic actors cope with the challenges of climate change.