The rains have been unusually heavy in the month of April in much of Spain and that can lead one to believe that the looming shadow of drought no longer hangs over us. And yet, a detailed analysis of the situation shows that this is not the case. The rains that fell throughout April have not managed to compensate for the rainfall deficit that the Peninsula as a whole drags down so far this year.
A study carried out by the portal the time is which has taken the evolution of the last ten years as a reference, concludes that, despite everything, there continues to be a rainfall deficit (which is also increasing) on the Atlantic slope, while a surplus or, at least, a normal situation can be seen in the east and southeast. A similar situation can be seen in the Basque Country and Navarra.
If the evolution of the last ten years is observed in some specific points, it is clearly seen that, except in those areas, the trend points towards increasingly less rainy years.
In Córdoba, Santiago de Compostela or the Canary Islandspoints very far from each other, downward trends in the rainfall regime can be seen in the last decade, reaching a deficit of 30% in the case of La Palma.
However, while the Atlantic slopes show a deficit, in areas of Navarre and Basque Country, in addition to the Mediterranean, are usually in surplus in recent years. In these areas, the rains are usually torrential (with the risks that this represents), but at least there is no meteorological drought today in the Mediterranean area.
stations like those of Utiel (Valencia), Elche, Huercal-Overa (Almeria) and others indicate amounts of rainfall between 2019 and 2021 above normal.
Lorcain Murcia, recorded in the December-April period no less than 200% more than would be normal in that period.
On the contrary, in Atlantic areas the panorama is diametrically opposite. Vigo It has barely recorded 54% of the rainfall that would be normal in these five months. The same is true in towns Zamora such as Villardeciervos (38% less than normal) or Soria (72% less than normal). But even in the Mediterranean there are exceptions, because in Barcelona 46% less than normal has been collected in these five months.
So, has the drought in Spain already ended? “The answer is clear: no.. The rains have not eliminated the drought and even more deficits have accumulated on the Atlantic slope. In the east, on the contrary, it has accumulated much more than normal, with a larger surplus & rdquor ;, points out Roberto Granda in the aforementioned meteorological portal.
Bad situation of the reservoirs
Consequently, The situation of the Spanish reservoirs continues to be, in general terms, bad. The very low level of the Guadiana and Guadalquivir basins is particularly noteworthy. The same happens in the Tagus.
The Segura barely reaches 44%, although in this case it is foreseeable that it will continue to rise, and in addition the soils are highly saturated with water due to the heavy rains of the last two months. However, it is also important to take into account what happens with the underground aquifers and in this case they continue to suffer significant pressure due to large consumption from various sectors, adds Granda.
“The meteorological drought may have been partially alleviated, as well as the agricultural one. It has rained to allow crops, such as cereals, to continue. However, there are insufficient rains in many areas of the country, and it is clear that we are still in a bad situation. We can therefore speak of a drought in Spain. A drought, moreover, prolonged and that has been dragging on the Atlantic slope for many years & rdquor ;, concludes this expert.
Reference news: https://www.eltiempo.es/noticias/sequia-no-ha-terminado-en-espana
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