Across the country, dam water levels have continued to fall for eight consecutive weeks. Despite recent heavy rains sweeping across the peninsula, the decline in stored water persists, now standing at 47.5 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous Tuesday.
New figures from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge indicate that reservoirs hold about 26,640 cubic hectometers of water. This volume is lower than what was present at this time last year (27,814 hm³) and well below the ten-year seasonal average (38,205 hm³) for this period.
The ministry notes that this week’s precipitation has had a meaningful impact across the peninsula, with a peak rainfall of 128.8 liters per square meter recorded in Castellón. The rainfall contributed moisture to soils that are noticeably drier than usual for this season, according to meteorological authorities. Cloudier skies and increased humidity have reduced evaporation, providing some relief to vegetation and helping to ease water stress—though it has not yet translated into higher dam inflows.
Inflows remained insufficient to counterbalance ongoing outflows, so the downward trend in reservoir levels continued despite the recent rainfall.
From March 1, when meteorological spring began, through May 28, total rainfall measured 85 liters per square meter. This is the same amount recorded for the spring of 1995, according to the latest comments from the spokesperson. The rainfall in May has not come close to surpassing that historical figure, and spring 2023 is expected to rank among the driest on record, with a markedly dry period overall.
Looking at the hydrological year as a whole, precipitation runs about 27 percent below normal, with 396 liters per square meter recorded from October 1 to May 28, versus a normal of 516 liters per square meter.
Spokesperson Rubén Del Campo emphasized that the situation marks one of the eight driest hydrological years since 1961. The basins with the most evident deficits include Guadalquivir (23.8%), Guadalete-Barbate (25.3%), Catalonia (25.6%), Guadiana (31.9%), and the Andalusia Mediterranean basin (34.3%), along with the Segura basin (35%).
On the opposite side, Cantabrian basins show higher water reserves, with eastern areas at about 90.4% of capacity, western areas around 87.8%, and the interior Basque Country at 81%. Galicia Costa remains notably higher in storage, near 80.7% of total capacity.
These patterns reflect the uneven distribution of rainfall across the region and underline the ongoing challenge of maintaining adequate water supplies during dry periods. Coordinated water management remains essential to reduce stress on ecosystems and to sustain urban and agricultural needs through the coming months.
Note: All figures cited are based on periodic updates from the environment ministry and meteorological agencies responsible for monitoring water resources and weather conditions across Spain.