At the beginning of May, Spanish reservoirs are below 50%.and this happens practically at the gates of summer, at a time when significant precipitation is increasingly less likely. Despite this, some autonomous communities will receive some rainfall these days, which could alleviate the situation. But will they be enough?
Meteorologist Mario Picazo explained what will happen during the month of May on the eltiempo.es portal: “We start on the moon, and in some communities we do this with rain, but not with water, which most people want to reach areas in great need. Also, The intense temperatures we experienced in the last stretch of April will continue.”.
Picazo even shared a map from the European Drought Observatory on his Twitter account that clearly shows the current situation in the Iberian Peninsula for the rest of the continent. Most of Spain is visible with the color showing ‘Soil Moisture Gap’. In addition, the southern half has numerous red spots that warn of ‘stress on vegetation’.. According to this map, our country is one of the countries most affected by the lack of precipitation.
“A hot summer with record temperatures”
The map “shows how dry the soil is in many parts of Spain. If it doesn’t rain by June, as in 2022, this water stress a scorching summer with record temperatures and frequent heat waves“, To add.
“In addition to the stability afforded by the high pressures at the surface, we’re seeing more often the presence of ridges built over our area,” Picazo says. These phenomena “bring dry, superheated air and a clean environment. In some cases, they also prefer warm air to come from North Africa”.
Moreover, soil is exposed to water stress“If the ground is dry, radiant energy from the sun is preferably used to increase the temperature of the air, rather than evaporating the water,” explains Picazo.
Of course, at the center of all this is climate change. Global warming affects Azores anticyclone as scientists previously warned. “Several studies show how it has strengthened and expanded northward over the years. This change has made the lockdowns more permanent, and with them came more heatwaves and dry periods,” he says.
The forecast for the future is therefore not very encouraging: “Spain and other parts of the Mediterranean will continue to experience a trend towards an increasingly drier climate”.
In summary, Picazo points out that everything depends on the volume of greenhouse gases we emit into the atmosphere: “How much drought we experience will depend on how much we warm the global temperature compared to pre-industrial times. The greater the warming, the greater the number and duration of dry periods in our region.”
…….
Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]