Are the Heat Waves Recorded in Morocco During the Summer of 2022 Exceptional?

This study deals with the heat wavesHeat wave recorded in June and July 2022June and July 2022 in MoroccoMorocco, in comparison with the chosen reference period 1980–2019. The objective of this study is to clarify whether the heat waves of the year are exceptional in terms of record values, duration and frequency of heat wavesHeat wave in our study area. The study is based on the daily data of the maximum temperature (Tmax) observed. The identification of heat waves is based on the criterion that the Tmax exceed the 90th percentile for at least 3 consecutive days. Our results show that the extreme values associated with the heat wavesHeat wave of the months of June and July of the year 2022 did not exceed the records of the reference period 1980–2019 for all the stations analyzed. On the other hand, records for the duration of heat waves exceeded those of the reference period 1980–2019. In addition, all the stations studied recorded a large annual number of heat wavesHeat wave and longer durations during the second half of the reference period.