The Arab Weather Center publishes a study showing facts about the drought situation in the Maghreb countries

Weather of the Arabs - Algeria and the rest of the Maghreb countries live on the reality of stable weather and did not witness a distinct precipitation befitting the rain that these countries usually witness during the winter season, which is characterized by its rain and the succession of its bounties, but the region is still far from any strong or comprehensive wave of rain.

The Arab Regional Weather Center issued a comprehensive report on this to monitor the drought situation in the Arab Maghreb countries and the prevailing rain reality. Its relationship to climate change.

Evaluation of the reality of the rainy season in the Maghreb countries so far

Rain performance is defined as the percentage of the cumulative amount of rainfall that is assumed to fall until a certain date, and the data of the National Meteorological Office of Algeria show that the rain performance of the current rainy season until 15-02-2022 suffers from a significant shortage in the quantities of rain assumed To be raining for this time of the year in all regions of Algeria, and in terms of numbers, for example, in the capital, Algiers, throughout the winter, about 25 mm fell. These quantities, if compared to normal rates, represent only approximately 10% of the rain rate.

Other data, those received from meteorological stations at the Directorate General of Meteorology in Morocco, show that Morocco is not better off than Algeria. For example, the capital, Rabat, has not received any significant rainfall since the beginning of the winter season, while Tunisia is believed to be the least affected by drought so far. Although it did not receive significant rainfall, it eased the drought, especially in coastal areas.

The current raindrop... Has it happened before? Is climate change related?

Undoubtedly, raindrops are repeated in the climatic archives of the Maghreb countries, as the climate of these countries is characterized by the great fluctuation of rain from year to year due to its occurrence between two climates. Statistical climatic data from the Arab Regional Weather Center indicates that the countries of the Maghreb have suffered from a lack of rain during the winter season, and at other times it developed into a drought in many rainy seasons.

Specialists in the Arab Weather Center do not believe that there is a close relationship between raindrops and the global phenomenon of climate change, but when studying the data of the Climate Bank for the Arab Maghreb States, at least during the past 25 years, it is clear that the cases of rain retention have been repeated in many periods during These years are perhaps the most prominent of them 2019/2020, 2008/2009 and 2001/2022. But it is interesting to note that the cases of rain deficiency have become more frequent during the past few years. For example, Algeria witnessed during the three years 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively, cases of rain deficiency.

Causes of the current raindrop

The main reason for the current rain stagnation is the absence of both weather conditions (atmospheric depressions or atmospheric instability), where most of the winter depressions affected by the countries of the Maghreb are of Atlantic origin, that is, they move over the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean across the European continent and then move Towards the north of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. But for any depression to succeed in moving south towards the western Mediterranean, there must be no vortex over the North Atlantic or northwest European continents. However, the last mentioned areas witness a series of storms with very low air pressures, the last of which was Storm Eunice. To compensate for the difference in atmospheric pressures, the Azorean air rise intensifies and is supported by a vertical construction of the subtropical air rise over the western Mediterranean regions in response to the great activity of the Atlantic storms, to sweep large areas of northwest Africa as well as parts of western and southwestern Europe.

But the remarkable thing is that there is stability in the distribution of these air masses and air systems from the Atlantic Ocean and the North Pole, so that this air rise continues to fluctuate in place over the countries of the Maghreb, and as a result, the influx and transfer of cold air from high polar widths towards the east of the European continent continued, and then formed Deep depressions associated with very low temperatures in many of these regions and directly affect eastern and parts of the central Mediterranean, with no indications of a radical change in the distribution of air systems, unfortunately, in the foreseeable future.

Increasing frequency and intensity of sandstorms in the coming period!!

It is expected that the chances of dust and perhaps sandstorms will increase in many areas as a result of the approaching of cold and sometimes very cold air masses and the large thermal differences that occur and affect the values of atmospheric pressure, which contribute to the formation of some dust waves, especially since the coming period (transitional periods) is characterized by thermal differences. The large, overlapping and conflict between the influence of the warm masses centered over the African Sahara and the extension of the cold/ultra-cold masses rushing across the Mediterranean. With the lack of vegetation cover and the precipitation that makes the soil dry and loose with small and fine grains and particles, the wind can lift and carry it with ease and transfer it from one place to another in the form of wide sandstorms.

And the mercy of God Almighty remains above everything, and we ask the Almighty to grant us relief.