Cold upper air system to keep Morocco under unstable weather into early next week

Morocco is set for several more days of unstable spring weather, with thunderstorms, hail, strong winds and snowfall over higher ground expected to affect multiple regions through the weekend before conditions gradually improve early next week, according to the General Directorate of Meteorology and forecast data.

Houcine Youabed, head of communications at the meteorology directorate, told Hespress that the shift is being driven by a low pressure system combined with cold air in the upper atmosphere, a setup that is generating unstable cloud formations and increasing the risk of showers, local thunderstorms, hail and a marked drop in temperatures, especially in mountain areas.

Official vigilance data published Thursday showed strong wind alerts across a broad stretch of the country, including eastern and southern provinces, while local forecasts for major cities pointed to a mixed pattern of clouds, showers and falling temperatures over the coming days.

Rabat and Casablanca are expected to remain mostly cloudy through Friday, with rain chances increasing into Saturday and Sunday, while Oujda is forecast to swing from very warm and windy conditions on Thursday and Friday to a much cooler, stormier weekend.

Youabed said Thursday’s rain would affect areas including Abda, Doukkala, Souss and the High and Anti Atlas, with light rain also possible over the phosphate plateaus and the northwestern Sahara provinces, and snow likely on the highest peaks of the High Atlas.

The disturbance is expected to intensify on Friday and continue into Saturday, with stronger thunderstorm activity forecast for the Rif, the Atlantic plains, the eastern region and the Middle and High Atlas. Snow is also expected to persist over higher elevations.

Forecasters expect local rain and thunderstorms to continue into Sunday, particularly in the Rif, Mediterranean-facing areas, the east and the Middle Atlas, before weather begins to stabilize from Monday, with temperatures gradually rising from Tuesday.