The General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) explains an extremely rare natural phenomenon that affects the desert and Saharan regions of Morocco.
An extremely rare natural phenomenon occurs in the Moroccan Sahara. “Morocco is experiencing during this late summer period, an exceptional rise towards the north of the intertropical front (ITF), which is one of the main weather systems influencing the climate of tropical and subtropical zones”, informs Challenge, Houssein Youabed, communications manager at the DGM. According to him, this front moves north and south depending on the seasons and plays a key role in the formation of storm systems and atmospheric disturbances in these regions.
The days of Wednesday and Thursday (September 4/5) were marked by the persistence of stormy instability in the regions of the Atlas and its eastern slopes in a moderate manner. Thunderstorms and hail were recorded in places and at times in the south-east of Morocco as well as the south of the Oriental. “From Friday, September 6 until Monday, September 9, Morocco will once again experience a rise in the intertropical front towards the north of our Saharan provinces, combined with a descent of cold air masses at altitude linked to the approach of an atmospheric depression in the far north of Morocco,” says Houssein Youabed, before reiterating the usual advice. It is a question of “being vigilant and closely following the weather bulletins issued by the General Directorate of Meteorology, which ensures continuous monitoring of the situation”.
These regions face chronic water stress, accentuated by the severe drought of recent years. According to forecasts, they are expected to receive amounts of rain not recorded in decades. Citing a study by Severe Weather Europe, the specialized site Reporter reports that more than 500% of normal monthly precipitation in September is expected to fall during this episode, which could extend over two weeks. This accumulation will even be 1000% higher than normal in places, it is specified. If the quantities of rain forecast by weather models are correct, “this 2024 event will be either the equivalent of a historic rain event of 1994 or the most significant ever observed since records began in the vast region of the great Sahara, which extends from the Atlantic to the Red Sea,” we explain.
