Houcine Youaabed, head of the communications department at the General Directorate of Meteorology, spoke about the bad weather currently affecting Morocco. Contacted by Le Site info, the official assured that the Kingdom is affected by a moderate disturbance throughout the country and strong in the North and the Rif region. “These disturbances are due to a deep atmospheric depression, named “Jana” by the Spanish meteorological agency. It affected the west and south of Europe before arriving in Morocco,” explains Youaabed. The head of the department underlines that this depression, accompanied by cold air masses, will extend from Portugal to Morocco between this Sunday and Tuesday. Which will give rise to bad weather in several regions of the Kingdom, notably the north, the center, the east and the Atlas zones and in the southern provinces. Finally, Youabed called on Moroccans to be vigilant and regularly follow weather reports and instructions from the authorities in order to ensure their safety. Remember that snowfall, heavy rain, sometimes stormy with local hail, and strong gusts of wind with local dust blowers are forecast, from Saturday to Monday, in several provinces of the Kingdom, announced the General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM). Thus, snowfall above 1,500 m varying between 40 and 70 cm is expected from Saturday at 12 p.m. to Monday at 1 p.m., in the provinces of Ifrane, Azilal, Béni Mellal and Midelt, indicated the DGM in a red vigilance level alert bulletin. The same phenomenon with an orange vigilance level (20-40 cm) will concern, during the same period, Guercif, Taza, Boulemane, Sefrou, Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen, Khénifra, Al Haouz, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Chichaoua and Taroudant, adds the DGM. Furthermore, heavy rains, sometimes stormy, with local hail are forecast from Saturday at 10:30 a.m. to Monday at 6 p.m., with accumulations ranging from 80 to 150 mm in the provinces of Tangier-Assilah, Chefchaouen, Tétouan, Ouezzane, Larache and Al Hoceima. This phenomenon of orange vigilance level will also concern, from Saturday at 10:30 a.m. to Sunday at 11 p.m., the provinces of Fahs-Anjra, M’diq-Fnideq, Kénitra, Taounate, Sidi Kacem, Taza, Ifrane, Béni Mellal, Azilal and Khénifra, with precipitation oscillating between 40 and 80 mm, reports the DGM, adding that a cumulative total of 30 to 40 mm is also expected in the provinces of Essaouira, Safi, El Jadida, Agadir-Ida-Ou-Tanane, Taroudant, Khémisset, Khouribga, Settat, El Hajeb, Sidi Slimane, Rabat, Salé, Skhirate-Témara, Médiouna, Casablanca, Berrechid, Benslimane, Nouaceur, Mohammedia and Sidi Bennour, from Saturday to 10:30 a.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m. Strong gusts of wind with local dust blowers (70 to 95 km/h) are also expected, from Saturday at 10:30 a.m. to Sunday at 11 p.m., in the provinces of Chefchaouen, Al Hoceima, Fahs-Anjra, Tangier-Assilah, Larache, Tétouan, M’diq-Fnideq, Guercif, Sefrou, Ifrane, Boulemane, El Hajeb, Taza, Meknès, Kénitra, Khémisset, Rabat, Skhirate-Témara, Salé, Benslimane, Médiouna, Sidi Bennour, El Jadida, Berrechid, Settat, Mohammedia, Nouaceur, Casablanca, Youssoufia, Marrakech, Essaouira, Chichaoua, Rehamna, Taroudant, Figuig, Driouch, Taourirt, Midelt and Ouarzazate. Similar gusts with an orange vigilance level are expected in Jerada, Oujda-Angad, Nador, Berkane, Zagora, Tinghir, Errachidia and Tata, Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., adds the same source.
