Morocco Between Drought and Snow: An Exceptional Winter Revives Climate and Water Concerns
Between December 2025 and January 2026, Morocco experienced one of the most exceptional weather events in its modern climatic history, with snow covering an area of approximately 55,400 square kilometers of the country. This unprecedented event, both in terms of its geographical extent and duration, marked a clear break from seven consecutive years of severe drought, which had depleted water resources and weakened the Kingdom's environmental and agricultural balances.
According to official data from the General Directorate of Meteorology, this precipitation is not in line with the usual pattern of Moroccan winters. While the Atlas and Rif mountain ranges have historically received snow, the extension of the snow cover to the plains and pre-Saharan fringes is a rare exception in the national climate record.
A Fluctuating Climate Memory
Climate data indicates that the last widespread snowfall in Morocco occurred in 2006, before the country entered a period of severe climate fluctuations. The years 2009 and 2010 saw significant rainfall, particularly in the High and Middle Atlas Mountains, which contributed to a relative improvement in surface and groundwater reserves.
However, the winter of 2012 marked a turning point, as severe cold waves and heavy precipitation led to the closure of numerous mountain passes, revealing the vulnerability of infrastructure to extreme weather events. In 2018, another rare climatic event occurred with snow reaching the edges of the Sahara, especially in Ouarzazate and Zagora, before the Kingdom entered a period of drought between 2019 and 2022, described as the most severe in decades.
From a Temporary Recovery to a Remarkable Shift
February 2023 saw a limited recovery after localized rainfall of up to 80 centimeters in some areas of the Atlas Mountains. However, this improvement remained temporary. The year 2024 witnessed only a slight return of snow in March due to Storm Jana, without causing a structural shift in the climatic situation.
But December 2025 marked a true turning point, as the General Directorate of Meteorology recorded an unprecedented record, directly linked to Storm Francis, which was characterized by its strength and duration. This trend continued into January 2026, with rare snowfall recorded in the city of Oujda for the first time in 23 years, extending to the entire Eastern region.
A Scientific Explanation for an Unusual Phenomenon
Climate analyses attribute this phenomenon to a confluence of rare weather factors, most notably the influx of extremely cold polar air masses from the north, coinciding with humid disturbances from the Atlantic Ocean. This interaction led to the formation of a low-pressure system over Morocco that persisted for several days, resulting in heavy snowfall that locally exceeded one meter in some areas of the High Atlas Mountains.
The mountainous regions bore the brunt of this precipitation, particularly the High and Middle Atlas Mountains, which serve as natural water reservoirs for the Kingdom, along with the Rif region, where record snowfall was observed, especially in Chefchaouen and Al Hoceima. The Eastern region experienced an unprecedented weather event with the city of Oujda being blanketed in snow after an absence of more than two decades.
Water Gains and Field Challenges
At the water level, this event had a significant positive impact, as the dam filling rate rose from 31.1 percent to over 45 percent in less than a month, representing a tangible boost to the strategic water reserves. With the gradual melting of snow during the spring, this snowfall is expected to contribute to replenishing valleys and recharging groundwater aquifers, thus supporting national water security in the medium term.
Conversely, the heavy snowfall posed significant social and logistical challenges, isolating hundreds of villages in mountainous areas and making access to several roads and paths difficult. Authorities were forced to mobilize significant human and technical resources, including helicopters and snow removal equipment, to ensure the delivery of aid and urgent medical interventions.
A Turning Point in a Volatile Climate
The General Directorate of Meteorology concludes that the winter of 2025–2026 will remain a landmark in Morocco's climate record. While it provided a vital lifeline in the face of structural drought, it simultaneously reflects the increasing severity of climate variability and the country's shift between periods of severe water stress and extreme weather events within short timeframes.
Between "drought Morocco" and "snowy Morocco," the challenge lies in strengthening the country's resilience through infrastructure development, improved water resource management policies, and enhanced territorial resilience, in order to transform this temporary natural blessing into a driver of sustainability in an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable climate.
