After seven years of persistent drought, Morocco's winter of 2025-2026 shattered records with unprecedented rainfall and snowfall, marking a dramatic climatic shift. The General Directorate of Meteorology attributes this wettest winter since 1981 to changes in atmospheric patterns, which brought intense weather events and underscored the kingdom's climate volatility. DR ‹ › After seven consecutive years of drought, Morocco experienced one of its wettest winters in decades. According to the General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM), the winter of 2025–2026 (December–January–February) marked a major shift in the country's climatic conditions, bringing heavy rainfall, significant snowfall, and notable temperature fluctuations across most regions of the kingdom. The Directorate explained that the unusually wet winter was caused by changes in major atmospheric patterns, including a weakening of the polar vortex. This allowed moist Atlantic air masses to reach Morocco, bringing several intense and prolonged rainfall episodes. Among the Wettest Winters Since 1981 The winter of 2025–2026 ranked as the third wettest in Morocco since 1981, with an average of 136 mm of rainfall nationwide, nearly double the normal winter average of 71 mm, according to the Directorate. Only the winters of 2010 (200 mm) and 1996 (178 mm) recorded higher totals.
The season also saw a sharp increase in the number of rainy days, with an average of 36 rainy days compared with the typical 17 days. Several weather stations set new records for rainy days, including Ifrane with 49 days (previous record: 44 in 1963), Kenitra with 43 days (41 in 1996), El Jadida with 41 days (36 in 1996), Casablanca with 38 days (37 in 1997), and Khouribga with 37 days (35 in 2010). Some regions also recorded rainfall totals equivalent to nearly a full year's precipitation in a single season. Tangier recorded 1,296 mm, surpassing the previous record of 889 mm in 1996, while Nouaceur recorded 448 mm (386 mm in 1997) and Sidi Slimane 435 mm (418 mm in 1997). After years of prolonged drought, however, the soil in many areas had become extremely dry. When heavy rainfall occurred, this contributed to rapid surface runoff, causing localized flooding in several areas. Significant Snow Cover in the Highlands Beyond rainfall, Morocco's highlands also experienced substantial snowfall. The snow-covered area reached approximately 55,495 km² on December 18, 2025, the highest level recorded since 2019. A second peak of 50,127 km² was observed on January 25, while more than 20,000 km² remained snow-covered for much of the winter, particularly in the Atlas and Rif Mountains. The seasonal average temperature remained close to the climatic norm, with a slight deviation of +0.15°C, although the winter was marked by significant fluctuations between cold and relatively warm periods. Several cold spells saw temperatures fall below seasonal averages, before a warm peak occurred on February 22, when temperatures rose 5.28°C above normal. Exceptionally high temperatures were also recorded in some parts of the country, including 35.1°C in Smara, 33.1°C in Taroudant, 31.2°C in Nouaceur, and 30.4°C in Marrakech. The Directorate concluded that this exceptional winter highlights the volatility of Morocco's climate and its sensitivity to large-scale atmospheric changes, while underscoring the importance of continuous meteorological monitoring and climate data analysis to improve forecasting and early warnings for extreme weather events.
