Morocco has been experience a significant heat wave since the beginning of spring, with historically high April temperatures across the Kingdom.
Since the end of March 2023, successive heat waves with degrees exceeding 40.
In addition to the agricultural damage, whose repercussions are expected to affect spring crops, the succession of extreme heat waves in record numbers heralds a season of forest fires, the like of which have already plagued Morocco’s northern neighbor Spain.
According to the General Directorate of Meteorology, Morocco is expecting extremely warm weather in the first two weeks of May, with temperatures ranging between 38 and 43 degrees celsius.
In addition to the fire threat, a recent report from The Lancet scientific journal revealed that the current annual risks of heat-related deaths in Morocco is highly present, with 250 deaths recorded annually due to high temperatures.
The study, titled “Current and Future Trends in Heat-related Mortality in the Middle East and North Africa Region,” estimated the heat-induced death rate in Morocco is ranging from 0 to 93 per 100,000 population.
Egypt topped the list of countries in the Middle East and North Africa, recording 2,591 deaths each year.
The study stated that the average heat-related deaths will increase by the period between 2081-2100 by 123.4 per 100,000 people annually across the countries of the Middle East and North Africa under a high emissions scenario.
According to the study, Arab countries in the Persian Gulf will witness the largest relative annual increases, with particularly large changes expected in the last half century.
Even under the low emissions scenario, Saudi Arabia could see a 13-fold increase in heat-related death rates, the study said.
Iran currently has the highest rate of heat-related deaths and will experience the greatest impacts between 2021 and 2100. The rates will also be high in Palestine, Iraq and Israel.
But it is the smaller Arab states of the Persian Gulf (Qatar, Oman, the Gulf states, the United Arab Emirates) that will have the greatest increase in heat-related death rates compared to their current rates, despite their prosperity compared to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
All or most of the region is expected to experience significant warming by 2060, with the greatest warming occurring in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The study indicated that the expected changes across the Middle East and North Africa region are not significant, although some coastal areas around the Arabian Peninsula will see an increase in relative humidity.
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