The year 2024 has officially been declared the hottest and driest in Morocco in more than a decade,according to a new report from the country’s General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM).
The findings were presented during a climate briefing held in Rabat on June 20,2025,showing that Morocco experienced last year record-breaking average temperature increase of 1.49°C compared to the 1991–2020 reference period.
This is more than double the global average rise of 0.67°C. Alarmingly,Morocco has already surpassed the 2°C warming threshold set by the 2015 Paris Agreement,which aimed to limit global temperature increases to between 1.5°C and 2°C to avoid irreversible climate impacts.
Morocco exemplifies the stark climate injustice faced by many countries in the Global South. Despite contributing only a small fraction to global greenhouse gas emissions,Morocco is experiencing some of the most severe consequences of climate change,including extreme heat,drought and devastating torrential rain.
In terms of rainfall,2024 was also one of the driest years since the 1960s,with precipitation levels dropping by over 45% compared to the annual average. Snowfall was drastically reduced as well,covering only 9,900 km2,a stark contrast to the usual 50,000 km².
These extreme conditions led to flash floods in southeastern Morocco,human casualties,and the unexpected reappearance of Lake Iriqui,which had been dry for over 50 years
Morocco’s climate extremes in 2024 were part of a broader global trend. According to NASA,2024 was the hottest year on Earth since modern records began in 1880,with global temperatures averaging 1.28°C above the 20th-century baseline and 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels
United News - unews.co.za