First Autumn Rain to Hit Several Provinces in Morocco
Autumn is starting with rainfall that is expected to affect several provinces across Morocco.
The General Directorate of Meteorology (DMN) said that the weather alert will include heavy thunderstorms ranging between 15-50 millimeters as well as gusts of wind from 60 to 70 kilometers per hour.
Heavy stormy showers between 15 and 30 millimeters are expected to affect Midelt, Figuig, and Errachidia.
Southern provinces such as Aousserd, Oued Ed-Daha, and Boujdour will also experience rainfalls when heavy thunderstorms will produce between 30 and 50 millimeters.
Several other provinces experienced rainfall earlier today, including the Rabat region.
It remains to be seen whether rainfall will improve Morocco’s agriculture output after a drastic season.
In the 2021-2022 agriculture season, Morocco’s cereal production witnessed a decrease of 67% compared to the previous year’s production. This means that Morocco only produced 34 million quintals in the 2021-2022 agricultural season compared to 103 million quintals in the 2020-2021 season.
Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture attributed the ongoing decline in productivity to a notable decrease in the irrigated area of cereals and irrigation restrictions in the large hydraulic perimeters.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expects to see Morocco’s cereal imports reaching 10.4 million tonnes in the 2022-2023 agriculture season, up 35% from the 2021-2022 imports.
In addition to agriculture, decreased downpours in the previous season also urged the government to improve its water management.
Water authorities in several provinces across the country announced the decision to reduce the flow of drinking water, including in El Jadida near Casablanca.
