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July 25, 2024 – A new heat wave has hit a city in central Morocco as the country faces its sixth consecutive year of drought, killing 21 people in 24 hours, health authorities announced.
The General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) announced that from Monday to Wednesday, several regions will experience an intense heat wave with temperatures reaching 48°C, especially in the city of Beni Mellal, about 200 km from Marrakech.
Most of the deaths were elderly or had chronic illnesses, regional health authorities said in a statement.
This year, Morocco experienced its hottest January on record in the country since 1940, with thermometers reading around 37 degrees in mid-winter, according to Morocco’s deputy minister.
Rising temperatures threaten the agricultural sector, which is vital to the country’s economy, and will damage reserves. Water Minister Nizar Baraka warned in late June that evaporation was reaching “one and a half million cubic meters a day.”
In August 2023, the highest temperature recorded in the country was recorded in Agadir (south), at 50.4 °C.
Scientists warn that climate change is leading to longer-lasting, more intense and more frequent extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods.
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