Significant stormy showers hit several regions of Morocco yesterday, Sunday, noted the National Directorate of Meteorology (DMN).

In a special bulletin, the National Meteorology indicated that the cumulative rainfall reached 30 to 50 millimetres, between 9 a.m. and midnight. Specifically in the areas of El Jadida, Safi, Sidi Bennour, Youssoufia, Rhamna, Kénitra, Rabat, Salé, Skhirat-Témara, Mohammedia, Casablanca, Ben Slimane, and Khénifra.

On the other hand, the DMN specified, the cumulative rainfall was expected to reach 70 to 80 millimetres in other regions of Morocco, notably in Sidi Bennour, Rhamna, and the southern part of El Jadida.

The situation was more moderate in Settat, Sidi Kacem, Sidi Slimane, Nouaceur, Taounate, Ouazzane, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Khouribga, Kelaat Sraghna, and Essaouira.

It must, however, be noted that the heavy rainfall of recent days has not ceased to cause damage across the country. This is what happened in Guelmim where significant damage was noted after the rains that fell on Friday on the region.

These damaged numerous infrastructures and caused the overflowing of the region's wadis and surroundings, thus leading to the isolation of the region and, in fact, a disaster situation such that the provincial authorities came to declare it a “disaster zone.”

Indeed, the Wilaya of the Guelmim-Smara region explains, in a press release, that it declares this zone a disaster area, following the damage caused by these exceptional precipitations and due to the isolation of the province they caused.

It should be emphasised that the provincial authorities had indicated in a previous press release that heavy rainfall that fell a little earlier had caused, in addition to significant material damage, flooding of neighbouring wadis whose waters flooded several neighbourhoods in the municipality of Bouizakarne, 40 kilometres north of Guelmim.

At the same time, the flooding of the Oum Laâchar wadi which crosses the city had carried away the dike intended to protect this city, thus causing significant damage in the southern neighbourhoods of the city and isolating neighbourhoods such as Hay Rahma, Moulay Youssouf, Gramiz, Amhairich, and the industrial district.

According to the same source, the waters also cut the RN 12 and the RN leading respectively to Sidi Ifni and in the direction of Tan Tan.

Other communes under the province were also not spared since the centres of these communes and the adjacent Douars are now cut off from the rest of the province and the world.

As usual, it took loss of life and significant damage for the government to finally deign to move. This, thanks to Royal instructions.

Indeed, as highlighted by a MAP dispatch, a delegation from the Ministry of the Interior, led by Mohamed Hassad, went on Friday evening to two regions heavily hit by the floods: Guelmim-Smara and Souss-Massa-Draâ, on the instructions of H.M. King Mohammed VI, with a view to “coordinating the necessary measures to ensure the protection of the populations and their property.”

Guelmim-Smara and Souss-Massa-Draâ are not the only regions affected by the rainfall. Essaouira was also hit by heavy rains. This pushed the city's authorities to strengthen the city of the trade winds' liquid sanitation system, to deploy towable pumping stations in certain nerve centres (Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah provincial hospital, industrial district, and main arteries of the city), and to mobilise hydro-cleaning trucks to clear the pipes and ensure optimal management of rainwater.

Note, moreover, that the average rainfall that fell on the Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen region until Friday at 06:00 a.m. reached 247 mm, setting a new record never equalled in thirty years, according to the Gharb Regional Office for Agricultural Development (ORMVAG).

According to the forecasts established by the National Meteorology, scattered rains are expected on Monday on the Atlantic coast between Essaouira and Tan Tan, the Souss as well as the Atlas and its neighbouring western plains and probably in places on the northern Atlantic plains, reports the Map agency. Just as on the Rif, the Mediterranean coast, and the North of the Oriental.

The reliefs of the High and Middle Atlas exceeding 1800m were expected to record snowfall.

During this Monday, several cities will record temperatures of around 8 to 20 degrees Celsius. Specifically in Oujda (9 to 18), Tétouan (11 and 17), Tangier (09 and 16), Kénitra (11 and 19), Rabat (10 and 19), Casablanca (13 and 20), Marrakech (11 and 15), Agadir (12 and 20), Fès (08 and 19), Meknès (08 and 18), Essaouira (15 and 17), and Laâyoune (17 and 21), among others.