“In April, a thousand waters,” goes the saying. However, this popular saying little has been accomplished, and unevenly, in Spanish territory. This has been confirmed by the Meteorology Statal Agency (Aemet) after analyzing last month’s rains and comparing them with the last twelve months. “April 2024 has been a very dry month in almost all of Spain, except in parts of Galicia, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands,” he noted in a thread published on Twitter, where he also advanced what the most probable climate scenario will be like for this May and the coming months.
The rain that fell throughout Spain in April has only allowed accumulate 32 l/m², “half of what is normal for this month,” says Aemet. This means that the country continues in a situation of long-lasting droughtalthough there are differences by autonomous community.
Specifically, they indicate, “if we analyze the accumulated rains in the last twelve months For the whole of peninsular Spain, the meteorological drought situation was already out of the situation in March 2024. However, if you analyze the last three years, we continue in a long-term drought.”
The Aemet has shown a map in which the great differences by province can be seen, depending on the rainfall in the last twelve months. “Most of the provinces in the west and center of the Peninsula do not have a drought, but there is in a good part of the provinces. provinces bathed by the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands“, describes this organism.
However, looking back at the last three years, the photograph shows which areas are in long-term drought. In this case, “some provinces in the northwest and central zone are being fought, but it is accused in Canary Islands, Andalusia, northern third and, especially, in Catalonia“.
Considering the last three years, many provinces are in long-lasting drought. Some in the northwest and central area are not; but it is accused in the Canary Islands, Andalusia, the northern third and, especially, in Catalonia. pic.twitter.com/uEVdBX70Ec
— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) May 5, 2024
Regarding the situation in the hydrographic basins of Spain, and despite this long-lasting drought, the rains that fell in the last year have allowed some to recover slightly, as has been the case of the basins of the Guadiana, Guadalquivir, Ebro and Duero. In Júcar and Segura, for their part, they have a twelve-month drought situation, “but they are not yet considering it for the last 36 months, because prior to last year, the rains were abundant there,” he clarified.
The best situation is presented by northern and northwestern basinsand also the of the Taguswhere “they are not in drought for either twelve or thirty-six months: the rains of the last hydrological year have been enough to get out of that situation there.”
On the opposite side, Aemet points to the basins of the southern Andalusia and Eastern Pyreneesa good part of Catalonia, such as those that continue to be in a critical situation due to a drought lasting both twelve and thirty-six months.
On the other hand, Aemet has also highlighted that “the rains accumulated in the previous twelve months have an impact on water reserves.” Here there is also differences between dammed water on the Atlantic slope, which is even above the average of the last 10 years, and the water collected on the Mediterranean slope.
The rains accumulated in the previous twelve months have an impact on water reserves. This is noticeable, for example, in the water dammed on the Atlantic slope, above the average of the last ten years, although in the Mediterranean it is below. (Data: @mitecogob) pic.twitter.com/0TDfT4bToJ
— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) May 5, 2024
In the first case, the improvement in the water reserves of the Atlantic slope “It is consistent with the end of the twelve-month meteorological drought situation observed when considering the abundant rains accumulated in that sector during the last hydrological year.”
However, last year’s rains “have been scarce” on the Mediterranean slope. This “is noted, in addition to the water reserves, in the great dryness of the land, which creates favorable conditions for forest fires“, they warn. A clear example of this is that many of the large fires that have occurred so far this year have taken place in the Valencian Community.
To the increased risk of forest fires we must also add “socioeconomic consequences” caused by this long-lasting drought situation, such as water restrictions for certain activities, reminds Aemet.
Thus we arrive at May. We are less than a month away from the start of summer, a season in which rains are usually scarce. Furthermore, the most likely scenario is below-normal rainfall in the west of the peninsula during May, June and July.https://t.co/UiRxTwX7zC
— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) May 5, 2024
Finally, the meteorological agency has drawn up an outline of the scenario in which Spain will find itself starting this May. “We are less than a month away from the start of summer, a season in which rains are usually scarce. Furthermore, the most likely scenario is that of rains below normal in the western peninsula during May, June and July,” they say.
