The series of storms that hit Spain last month – and which continue – darkened the days on the mainland, which experienced the least amount of sunshine in January since 1996 and the second darkest since records began in 1984.
This is according to researcher Dominic Royé, from the Galician Biological Mission (MBG), and based on data from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMESTAT).
Royé explained to EFE that January was the month with the fewest hours of sunshine with 29 hours less than average on the mainland, surpassed only by the 1996 figure (33 hours less).
The researcher pointed out that the usual values on the mainland in January are around 185 hours of sunshine, although with large differences between areas, as in the north they are usually between 100 and 120 hours and in the south they reach between 250 and 270 hours. This year, almost the entire country has been below these values, with the exception of Murcia, Almería and the Balearics, which have been within the normal range.
The Atlantic coast and the north-western corner have seen the greatest anomalies, according to Royé, and the Galician cities recorded very high percentages of decline. In Santiago, the number of hours of sunshine compared to the average for this time of year fell by almost 50%, in Vigo by 48% and in A Coruña by 46%. Ourense (57%), Pontevedra (56%) and Lugo (55%) were even darker. These values are higher than those of other Spanish cities cited by the researcher, such as Madrid (20%), Seville (30%), Gijón (40%) and Burgos (40%).
Geography also plays a role, as the greatest reductions in sunshine tend to occur in mountainous areas due to the terrain, and the impact is usually less on the coast because cloud cover breaks up more quickly. Cloud cover is the factor that causes the reduction in hours of sunshine, although Royé explains that the amount of rainfall does not necessarily mean less sunshine.
The sky can be cloudy without it raining, just as there can be a lot of rainfall in a short period of time (such as in summer storms) and then clear up. The season and the length of the days also have an influence, as the days are shorter in January than, for example, in July.
The reduction in hours of sunshine has well-known effects on people’s moods, according to Royé, who researches the relationship between health and climate. ‘It has a physiological effect but also a psychological one, because it often depresses us, especially those of us who live further north,’ he said.
However, the researcher points out that this effect sometimes occurs even when the actual data does not show a trend towards less sunshine or more rain than in other years, but the population perceives it that way. ‘The press is very aware of storms, especially high-impact ones, because they all have names,’ he said.