The recent rain has not reversed the current meteorological drought situation in Spain, warned Rubén del Campo, spokesman for the state met. office Aemet, who stressed “the need for more rain” in the coming weeks to alleviate the situation.
Rainfall is less than 2/3 of normal for this time of year, according to Aemet figures, which also indicate that the current hydrological year - from 1 October to the middle of this month - has yielded a total of 69 litres per square metre, i.e. 40 litres per square metre below normal for this period (109 litres).
In general, the accumulated amounts are below normal in a large part of the mainland except in Galicia, Castilla y León, in the northern half of Extremadura (where in some areas they reach double the normal value), in more isolated points of the Pyrenees and in Cabo de Palos.
As far as the islands are concerned, most of them have not reached normal values, with the exceptions of the eastern half of the island of Fuerteventura, the south of Lanzarote and the eastern half of the Balearics.
With regard to the winter, the forecasts suggest that rainfall could be heavier than normal in the Mediterranean and less in the north, the spokesman said, who also predicted that temperatures are expected to be warmer than normal.