Spain faced a rapid shift in weather patterns that sparked concern among scientists and planners. Experts agree that the change in seasons alone will not immediately ease the severe drought gripping much of the peninsula. Beginning in the latter half of March, and intensifying as April set negative rainfall records, large parts of the Iberian Peninsula endured a brutal dry spell with unusually scant precipitation.
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Yet an anticyclonic high pressure system in Northern Europe altered the outlook in the second half of May, reversing the trend and bringing a different rhythm to the weather. For weeks, a subdued, calm air dominated the skies, punctuated by episodes of storms that principally hit the Mediterranean zone while central regions of the Iberian Peninsula experienced a mix of weather events.
The daily weather rundown
Renowned meteorologists from Spain, including figures on Antena 3 and Onda Cero, offered concise summaries of these shifts. One notable voice, Roberto Brasero, captured the pattern in a simple but telling message delivered via social media. He used a recurring couplet to map the period from mid-March to mid-May: days without rain, followed by a stretch with shifting storm activity. The message carried a sense of routine, a diary of meteorological moments that readers could track day by day.
From mid-March to mid-May: IT’S NOT RAIN TODAY IT’S NOT RAIN TODAY IT’S NOT RAIN TODAY. From mid-May to mid-June: STORM TODAY STORM TODAY STORM TODAY. #diarymonotonodeunhombredeltiempo
– 1 June 2023, (@tiempobrasero) [citation attributed to Brasero]
That summary underscores a broader theme: the weather has been uneven, with drought pressures giving way to episodic rainfall and storm activity in different regions. The shorthand becomes a narrative that helps the public grasp a complex pattern—how a stretch of dry days, followed by bursts of storm systems, shapes water resources, agriculture, and daily life across the peninsula. In effect, Brasero’s reflections frame a season of fluctuation rather than a simple, predictable arc.
Overall, the period was characterized by a stark contrast between prolonged dry spells and sudden, localized intensifications of rain and wind. For residents and decision-makers, the takeaway is clear: monitoring the evolving balance of drought risk and storm potential remains essential for agriculture, infrastructure, and regional planning across Spain.