Storm Charles closes schools in Souss-Massa, 100 km/h winds
An orange weather alert warns of rain up to 110mm and 100 km/h winds, forcing schools in Souss-Massa, Essaouira, Taounate and Tetouan to close until Friday.
Provincial education departments have suspended classes as a precaution in several Moroccan regions after an updated orange-level weather alert warned of heavy thunderstorms and strong winds this Wednesday and Thursday, according to Hespress, citing Morocco's General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM).
The bulletin forecasts rain of between 20 and 110mm, with a risk of hail, plus wind gusts of up to 100 km/h, in an episode Le Matin named storm "Charles".
How much rain is expected, and where?
The DGM split the expected totals into three tiers, from noon Wednesday to noon Thursday:
| Tier | Rainfall | Main provinces |
|---|---|---|
| Hardest hit | 80 to 110mm | Chefchaouen, Al Hoceima, Tetouan, Essaouira, Agadir Ida-Outanane, Inezgane-Ait Melloul, Chtouka-Ait Baha |
| Moderate | 40 to 80mm | Taounate, Larache, Sidi Kacem, Kenitra, Taza, Ouezzane, Taroudant |
| Lighter | 20 to 40mm | Tangier-Assilah, Fes, Meknes, Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and other provinces |
The DGM also warned of gusts of 90 to 100 km/h, with local dust storms, in Sidi Bennour, Safi, Chichaoua, Essaouira, Youssoufia, Tetouan, El Jadida, Al Haouz, Taza, Driouch, Al Hoceima, Tangier-Assilah and Chefchaouen, and of 80 to 90 km/h in other provinces such as Rhamna, Settat, Kelaat Sraghna, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, from noon Wednesday until 11pm. The Ministry of Equipment and Water urged road users to be extra careful, per Le Matin.
Schools closed in Souss-Massa, Essaouira, Taounate and Tetouan
The disruption led education departments in Souss-Massa, Essaouira, Taounate and Tetouan, plus one school group in Taza, to suspend classes, Le Matin reported. In detail, Al3omk said three Souss-Massa provinces suspended classes: Agadir Ida-Outanane, in all its schools from Wednesday evening through all of Thursday; Chtouka-Ait Baha, in all its public and private schools over the same period; and Taroudant, from midday Wednesday until the end of Thursday, with classes resuming normally on Friday 13 November in all three provinces.
Agadir Ida-Outanane widened its decision
Notably, the decision in Agadir Ida-Outanane was updated: the provincial department first limited the suspension to rural schools only, before extending it to the whole province, under alert bulletin no. 236/2026 and after consulting the provincial monitoring committee — a sign the weather system worsened quickly. Wafinkom had reported this morning that only Tetouan and Chefchaouen had suspended classes, before the decision widened to these new provinces, a development that builds on the weather alert Wafinkom published two days ago.
Rough seas and when schools reopen
In Souss-Massa, the DGM forecasts highs of between 24 and 29 degrees, with seas rough to very rough along the Atlantic coast, which Al3omk said calls for extra caution from fishermen and beachgoers. For parents in the affected provinces, classes are suspended only until Friday morning, when they resume normally once the storm clears. The weather situation across Morocco's regions can be followed on Wafinkom's weather page.