April brought heavier than usual rainfall across most of Spain, which might suggest the drought threat is easing. Yet a careful review of the data shows the contrary. The showers in April did not erase the ongoing precipitation deficit that the country has faced this year.
A survey of recent decades shows that the Atlantic slope continues to run a deficit, while the eastern and southeastern regions show normal or surplus patterns. The Basque Country and Navarra follow a similar trajectory. If we look at ten-year trends in certain locations, the pattern clearly points to fewer very rainy years beyond these areas.
In Córdoba, Santiago de Compostela, and the Canary Islands, precipitation has declined over the last decade, with a notable 30 percent shortfall in La Palma.
However, while the Atlantic coast experiences a deficit, Navarre and the Basque Country, together with the Mediterranean, have seen surpluses in recent years. Rain is heavier in these regions, which carries risks, but the Mediterranean today shows no meteorological drought.
Stations such as Utiel in Valencia, Elche, and Huércal-Overa in Almería report above-average precipitation between 2019 and 2021.
In Murcia’s Lorca, rainfall for the December–April period was at least 200 percent above normal.
On the opposite side, the Atlantic regions tell a starkly different story. Vigo registered only 54 percent of the normal rainfall for those five months. Zamora and Villardeciervos reported 38 percent and 72 percent below normal respectively, with Soria recording 72 percent below average. Even in the Mediterranean there are exceptions, as Barcelona saw around 46 percent less rainfall than usual in the same period.
The drought in Spain is not over. The rains did not reverse the drought, and the Atlantic slope remains particularly hard hit. The eastern areas, by contrast, accumulated much more rainfall than usual, with a marked excess, according to expert Roberto Granda of a well-known meteorological portal.
Poor reservoir conditions
The overall state of Spain’s reservoirs remains sagging. Especially troubling are the Guadiana and Guadalquivir basins, with the Tagus showing similar pressures. Segura stands at roughly 44 percent capacity, though it is expected to rise as soil moisture remains high after heavy rains in the past two months. It is also important to monitor underground aquifers, which continue to face intense depletion due to extensive withdrawals across sectors, notes Granda.
Meteorological drought may have eased somewhat alongside agricultural drought, allowing crops like grains to continue. Yet precipitation remains insufficient in many regions. The country as a whole remains in a challenging drought cycle that has stretched across the Atlantic slope for years, explains the expert.
Source: El Tiempo reporting on drought trends in Spain [Source: El Tiempo].
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