WEATHER: Extreme rain and snow after heavy storms in Spain
Effects of storm Filomena have not all been negative. As a result of the storm, Filomena has left behind the equivalent of a city’s average annual water consumption. This is something always much needed and beneficial for the water supply in Spain.
From January 7, storm Filomena raged relentlessly for one week over Spanish territory and left considerable damage in its wake. As a result of which, several places in Spain were declared disaster areas. However, now that temperatures have risen again, further effects of Filomena are becoming visible.
Positive consequences of storm Filomena in Spain
Consequences of Filomena were not all unfavourable: Spanish news site Efe Verde wrote last weekend that the storm left around 5,000 cubic hectometres of water in Spain. This equates to the average urban consumption during a year. It also measured 256,000 square kilometres of snowfall, which – as seen on satellite images – covered about half of the Spanish territory.
Storm affects water supply and consumption in Spain
Based on measurements by the Spanish weather service Aemet and the water resources program ERHIN, the Ministry of Ecological Transition (Miteco) presented these figures. According to previous calculations, the total water supply in Spain was 100,000 cubic hectometres and the annual demand for water is approximately 32,000 cubic metres.
The considerable amount of water and snow has greatly increased the water reserves for the rest of the year, especially in the mountains. Miteco stresses that these figures should be seen as estimates to be further measured and verified as the snow continues to melt. Futhermore, it will be interesting to see whether this predictions regarding an increase in volume of rivers and reservoirs comes to fruition and helps manage the storage of water in Spain.
