As expected, May proved to be the hottest month in Spain on record since measurements began, with the peak temperatures and the monthly average both reaching new highs. The warmest May recorded so far occurred in 2020, based on available meteorological data.
José Antonio Maldonado, Meteored’s director of meteorology, noted that May 2022 surpassed the long-term reference period by nearly 3ºC. That reference spans 1981 to 2010, during which May averaged 16.6ºC.
Regarding average minimum temperatures, May 2022 ranks second in the historical sequence, as the minimum average for 2020 remained slightly higher than this year.
Temperature anomalies in May 2022 illustrate the unusual warmth that month brought to much of the country, with the image caption highlighting the notable departures from typical values. Source: Meteored.
Unlike the rest of spring, May was notably dry, which reduced reservoir levels compared with the same period in the previous year.
June is expected to bring higher-than-average warmth across much of the region.
Early June shows rainfall in several areas of the peninsula, including Galicia and Asturias, and parts of northwest Castilla y Leon, Extremadura, and some spots in Huelva and the Canary Islands. Nevertheless, daily temperatures are anticipated to be typical for the season in the near term. In the Ebro valley, several locations could exceed 35ºC.
In the second week of the month, precipitation is expected to be minimal in nearly all of Spain, with Cantabria’s coast being the only area likely to see a little rain. Temperatures across Galicia, the Cantabrian regions, the Mediterranean coast, the Balearic and Canary Islands are predicted to stay slightly above average, while the rest of Spain should feel clearly warmer than normal for the time of year. Overall, June is shaping up to be a very hot month.
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