Spain is entering a period of prolonged drought that is likely to face another year of heatwaves and wildfires.
Spain officially The country has entered a prolonged drought due to high temperatures and low rainfall over the past three years and is likely to face another year of heat waves and wildfires.
The country’s meteorological agency, Aemet, said on Friday that statistics show Spain entered a prolonged drought at the end of 2022, with the first three months of 2023 showing little sign of change.
“The first available forecasts for the summer of 2023 indicate a likely above-normal temperature situation,” Aemet spokesman Rubén del Campo said, adding that the upcoming summer fire risk can be very high given the high temperatures.”
But Del Campo noted that the country had already experienced severe droughts in 2017, 2005, and the late 1990s and 1980s.
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“For comparison, we have a drought, but there have been more severe droughts, which does not mean that it will not matter,” he said at a press conference.
Aemet says Spain is geographically prone to high temperatures and drought, but climate change is a key factor.
A forest fire burns near Altura, Spain on August 2. On September 19, 2022, Spain officially entered a prolonged dry spell and is likely to face another year of heat and wildfires. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz, file)
Del Campo said Spain has warmed 34 degrees F since the 1960s, and that warming is noticeable all year round, but especially in summer, when the average temperature has risen by 1.6 degrees.
He said that such an increase might not sound like much, but noted that “when we’re talking about a scenario the size of the Iberian Peninsula, half a million square kilometers, yearly data, this trend leads to many more heat hours,” which he says has doubled. over the past 10-12 years, compared with the number of thermal hours in previous years.
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Last year was the sixth driest year in Spain and the hottest since 1961, when recording began. Rainfall was 16% below average, and the average daytime temperature topped 59 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time.
However, December was one of the rainiest in recent years, which greatly improved the situation. Recent rains have boosted water storage in reservoirs to 51% capacity, well above the dangerously low level of less than 35% at the end of 2022. But at least two areas, most notably northeastern Catalonia in Spain around Barcelona, are experiencing severe water shortages.
Spain’s Ministry of Ecological Transition says that while the situation is worrying, there are currently no restrictions on drinking water in any part of the country, and none are in place this year.
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There may be local water restrictions for agricultural and industrial purposes, as in the case of Catalonia, where from November 2022 the use of water in agriculture and industry had to be limited. Do not use potable water to wash cars or fill swimming pools.
Land-based heatwaves have become a common occurrence in many Mediterranean countries, with serious side effects such as forest fires, droughts, crop losses and backfires. high temperatures.