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Abstract

This study examines the contribution of Mediterranean cyclones (MCs) to precipitation totals in the North Africa (NA) region from 1980 to 2024 using the high-resolution Multi-Source Weighted-Ensemble Precipitation dataset. Cyclone tracks were obtained by applying the CyTRACK framework to the 6-hourly European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ERA5 reanalysis data. Meanwhile, MC-related precipitation is defined as the rainfall within a 400 km radius of the cyclone centre. On average, 48% of the annual MC count contributes to precipitation in the NA region, particularly close to the coast of the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia). Overall, the MCs account for ~ 9% of the total precipitation in the whole NA. Additionally, its contribution has a marked seasonal behaviour, peaking during the spring months, particularly in April with ~ 14%, and dropping to 2% in August. Furthermore, despite the statistically significant trends in the MC contributions in northern Algeria (positive) and Libya (negative), no region-wide tendencies were detected. In summary, this study emphasizes that understanding the MC contribution to precipitation in NA is essential for improving hydrological management strategies in this region, particularly in the context of global warming.