Recent drought conditions in large parts of Spain reflect the longest and most intense dry spell since at least 1970. Weather insights from the portal eltiempo.es confirm that December 2022 rainfall did not reverse the long term drought trend.
Even with rainfall in the final quarter, the drought on the Atlantic slope persisted and so did the drought in Catalonia.
The portal identifies the deepest droughts in the southwest, around Catalonia and the Pyrenees, with particular impact in Córdoba and Badajoz. In contrast, provinces like Almería, Murcia, Valencia and Castellón receive more rainfall and show no drought conditions.
Eltiempo.es analyzed 48 month drought indices across multiple regions since 1970, using historical series to reveal the current drought reality.
From this analysis, it is clear that the drought period in Córdoba began between 2014 and 2015 and has persisted. It worsened significantly in 2022, and December rains did not alleviate it. This represents the longest and most intense drought in Córdoba since 1970 according to 48 month SPEI data [Citation].
Waterless landscapes are visible in places such as Contreras, Valencia, as photographed by journalists on site [Citation].
The same pattern appears in La Serena (Badajoz) and around the Pyrenees near Lerida. In other areas along the Atlantic front, the situation differs slightly but remains notable. Overall, Atlantic data align with the observed long term decrease in precipitation over recent decades.
There has been a drought in the center of the peninsula for nearly 20 years.
Analysis from the central meteorological region shows a near continuous drought since 2005. Although 2010 and 2020-2021 briefly boosted indices into positive territory, those gains were temporary. Without those two periods, the drought would have continued since 2005 and would stand as the most prolonged and severe on record.
Aside from the absence of meteorological drought in some areas, regions such as Murcia show positive drought indices since 2018. In fact, there are records of persistent surplus in these regions, indicating stronger water availability during those periods.
This pattern was preceded by a separate period of prolonged surplus in the early 2000s. The nearby provinces, including Almería and Alicante, show no drought from a meteorological or climatic standpoint.
Looking ahead, eltiempo.es forecasts indicate the coming days or weeks are unlikely to bring meaningful rainfall. Expect stable and warm conditions to persist for the near term, potentially extending through Easter.
Without a substantial Atlantic rainfall event in a short window and with temperatures remaining above normal, the drought in Spain is likely to intensify.
Outlook for large parts of the country remains dire, as reservoir levels in many areas are already too low to withstand a dry spring into summer.
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Environmental authorities can be reached via the environmental department for further information [Citation].