SEVILLA – Temperatures above 30 degrees will be registered in the south of Spain until next Thursday. While not even two weeks ago, it was still winter cold, temperatures in Andalucia can already be called summer.
Spring has only just started, but the temperatures measured in recent days are much more in line with the beginning of summer than the end of winter.
Summer feel in Andalucia
Heat and lots of sunshine were the dominant trends throughout Spain this week, especially in Andalucia, where the mercury in thermometers rose to unusual levels for this time of year. And, furthermore for the week ahead, the forecast is that they will even rise slightly.
This is confirmed by the weather institute Aemet, which points out that in several provinces in the south of the peninsula, such as Seville and Córdoba, the temperature can even rise to 33 degrees.
The flip side of the coin of the early good weather is that no rain is expected. Precipitation is common in the months of March and April. And, in this respect, the situation is similar to what happened last year. Then around this time, the problems started, and led to a severe drought that lasted until almost the end of the year.
Increased risk of wildfires
The intense temperature rises and the absence of precipitation bring an increased risk of wildfires. That’s why experts are calling on authorities to come up with serious precautions to prevent vegetation that is much drier than usual from catching fire and causing danger to people and wildlife.
Related post: Critical situation forest fires in Castellon
Water resources in Spain
The fact that the early drought is a cause for concern is evident from the state of the reservoirs at the moment. In Andalucia as a whole, water resources are at only 29.97% of their capacity. In Murcia, that percentage is even lower at 27.7%. Other Spanish autonomous communities with a worrying amount of water reserve are Castilla la Mancha, Cantabria and Catalonia with 40.34%, 42.26% and 42.62% respectively. The national average is 51.67%. The community that has the best water resources at the start of the dry season is the Basque Country at 76.59% of its capacity.
