According to Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, April 2024 continued the trend of record-breaking global temperatures.
Buontempo emphasized that this pattern of unusually high temperatures has persisted since June of the previous year, now extending into the 11th consecutive month. This trend is evident not only in the global average temperature but also in the warming of sea surface temperatures.
Copernicus, the EU’s climate change agency, provided data confirming that April 2024 was the warmest April on record globally. The surface air temperature averaged 15.03 Celsius, exceeding the April average calculated between 1991 and 2020 by 0.67 degrees. Moreover, this temperature increase was 1.58% higher than the preindustrial reference point established at the Paris climate summit.
While Europe experienced its second warmest April, other regions saw even more significant temperature rises. North America, eastern Asia, parts of the Middle East, parts of South America, and most of Africa were particularly affected.
In Morocco, the impact of rising temperatures is imminent as the country braces for a forecasted heatwave expected to affect several provinces from Tuesday to Friday. The General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) issued an orange alert, cautioning of temperatures ranging between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius during this period.
This announcement comes amid Morocco’s ongoing struggle with drought, now entering its sixth consecutive year. The scarcity of water resources presents significant challenges, especially for the country’s rain-dependent agriculture sector.
