Climatology
This page presents Morocco's climate context for the current climatology, 1991-2020, derived from observed, historical data. Information should be used to build a strong understanding of current climate conditions in order to appreciate future climate scenarios and projected change. You can visualize data for the current climatology through spatial variation, the seasonal cycle, or as a time series. Analysis is available for both annual and seasonal data. Data presentation defaults to national-scale aggregation, however sub-national data aggregations can be accessed by clicking within a country, on a sub-national unit. Other historical climatologies can be selected from the Time Period dropdown list.
Observed, historical data is produced by the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of University of East Anglia. Data is presented at a 0.5º x 0.5º (50km x 50km) resolution.
Morocco’s climate varies considerably across the country’s northern to southern areas. Both rainfall and temperature are strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Sahara Desert to the south and southeast. Most of the country’s rainfall occurs between October and May. The incursion of extratropical weather systems from Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, brings colder air and cloudiness, which results in a declining rainfall gradient from north to south that is also influenced by the Atlas Mountains. Temperatures in the arid and semi-arid southern and southeastern parts of the country are generally high, while rainfall and snow can occur in the northern mountainous areas between November and April. Most of Morocco, particularly along the coast, experiences a typical Mediterranean climate, with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The rainy season extends from November to March, with average annual rainfall of 1,200 mm. The south is much drier and receives approximately 100 mm of rainfall on average each year. In the summer, temperatures along the coast range from 18°C to 28°C and can reach up to 35°C in the interior. In the winter, temperatures along the coast range from 8°C to 17°C and can drop below 0°C in the interior mountain areas.
Mean annual temperature for Morocco is 17.5°C, with average monthly temperatures ranging between 9.4°C (December, January) and 26°C (July, August). Mean annual precipitation is 318.8 mm, with highest rainfall occurring October to April, with extremely low precipitation occurring between June to August.