Morocco’s meteorological directorate has raised the alert level to orange as a blistering heatwave is set to push temperatures up to 44°C across a swathe of southern and south-eastern provinces from Wednesday through Saturday. The affected zones—stretching from Errachidia and Zagora near the High Atlas deep into the Saharan territories of Es-Semara, Boujdour, Aousserd and Oued Ed-Dahab—will endure extreme heat that poses acute health risks for vulnerable populations and complicates daily life in already arid landscapes. Concurrently, the same bulletin warns of intense thunderstorm activity further north and east: the provinces of Boulemane, Jerada, Figuig and Midelt are forecast to receive up to 25 millimetres of rain in a few hours on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by hail and sudden, destructive wind gusts. Adding to the unsettled picture, the Tangier-Asilah region will face winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour on Thursday, prompting authorities across the kingdom to urge vigilance.

Viewed from Tehran, a separate but similarly vigorous weather system is barrelling across Iran’s northern tier, bringing conditions that contrast sharply with Morocco’s desert heat yet carry their own destructive potential. The national meteorological service has issued an orange warning for a broad frontal system that will deliver heavy downpours, thunder and lightning, temporary fierce winds, and hail across at least thirteen provinces. On Wednesday, the highest risks concentrate in the central and southern parts of Ardabil, the northern reaches of West Azerbaijan, and the eastern and northern sectors of East Azerbaijan, as well as the mountain slopes and foothills along the Caspian littoral in Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan. The band of instability then shifts eastwards and southwards on Thursday and Friday, extending into the Alborz highlands above Tehran, the northern Semnan corridor, North Khorasan and northern Razavi Khorasan. Forecasters warn that dust storms may be whipped up locally, while hailstones could damage crops and greenhouses in vulnerable rural districts.

The capital Tehran will not escape the disturbance entirely. According to the provincial meteorological office, southern and western neighbourhoods are expected to see strong winds and intermittent dust from Wednesday to Friday, while the northern foothills and higher elevations may register scattered showers with a chance of thunder. Tehran city itself will experience partly cloudy skies, with thermometers reaching 36°C on Thursday before easing only slightly. The combination of rising temperatures, dust and isolated rain underscores how even a sprawling megacity must manage the cascading effects of a regional weather breakdown.

Analysts in London note that while June frequently brings volatile weather across North Africa and the Middle East, the simultaneous issuance of orange-level warnings for such disparate hazards—Saharan heat and Caspian thunderstorms—highlights the amplified variability that climate models increasingly project for the wider region. Morocco’s authorities are particularly focused on preventing heat exhaustion and dehydration in remote desert outposts, while Iranian emergency services brace for flash floods on mountain roads and potential power outages from wind damage. As both nations navigate the coming days, the parallel crises serve as a reminder that extreme weather does not respect borders, and that early warning systems, however robust, need continuous investment to translate alerts into effective community protection.