Morocco breaks monthly temperature record in Western Sahara

The General Directorate of Meteorology of Morocco (DGM) announced on Monday that the city of Laayoune, located in Western Sahara, recorded a historic temperature record for the month of August: 49.2 degrees Celsius. The value exceeded the previous record, of 47 degrees Celsius, set in August 2016, according to a report cited by AFP.

• Two weeks of extreme heat

The country has been facing an intense heat wave for almost two weeks, which has mainly affected the central regions, coastal areas and the south. On Sunday, temperatures exceeded the normal values for this period by 3 to 13 degrees Celsius, and in no fewer than 19 cities the mercury exceeded the threshold of 40 degrees Celsius.

• The "Chergui” phenomenon - a wind that brings flames from the desert

Specialists explain the record by the "Chergui” effect, a hot and dry wind that arrives from the Sahara. These days, the phenomenon was amplified by an anticyclone and a desert depression, and the clear sky intensified the heating throughout the day.

• Years of unprecedented heat

In June, the DGM announced that 2024 was the hottest year in the history of meteorological measurements in Morocco, 1.49 degrees Celsius above the average for the period 1991-2020. The increase in temperatures is directly attributed to global warming, which increases the frequency and severity of heat waves.

• A warning signal for the region

Morocco, which controls most of Western Sahara - a disputed territory - thus becomes a new hot spot on the climate change map. The Laayoune record shows that North Africa is among the regions in the world most exposed to the impact of global warming, with major risks to population health, agriculture and water resources.