Else Beekman
The peaks of the Sierra Tejeda-Almijara and the Sierra de las Nieves were covered with a layer of snow on Saturday. That’s the first time this year. The rain showers coincided with a cold front that has brought the mercury down significantly in the province since Thursday.
The good news is that areas in the province that have remained very dry so far have also received a lot of rain. The weather agency Aemet issued a yellow warning for rain showers on Saturday for Ronda and the surrounding area, the Costa del Sol, the area around Coín, and the Axarquía region.
Winter temperatures
Even though winter is coming to an end, it is only now that almost winter temperatures have finally been reached. Already on Friday, areas above 1,600 metres in the Sierra de las Nieves were covered with snow. The white-coloured highest peaks are visible from nearby villages such as Yunquera. It is expected to rain there all day and with snow in higher areas. The intensity of showers will decrease on Sunday. Aemet has predicted that the snow line here will drop to 1,400 metres. This will cause the white blanket to expand further.
Snow in Axarquia?
Snow is also expected in the Sierra de Tejeda-Almijara on Saturday. Here the snow line also drops to 1,400 metres. It will rain heavily in lower areas. The top of Mount Maroma, which is more than 2,000 metres high, is already covered in snow.
Rain
Ronda, Costal del Sol, and the area around Coín and Axarquía are expected to receive up to 60 litres per square metre of rain in twelve hours. Locally this amount can go up to 80 litres. The eastern part of Málaga province is expected to receive most of the rain on Saturday. On Friday, rainfall was heaviest on the west coast, with up to 88 litres per square metre within 24 hours in Ojén.
Reservoirs
There is also good news regarding the levels of the water reservoirs in the province. The La Concepción reservoir received 59 litres per square metre, La Viñuela in the Axarquá 30, and Guadalteba near El Chorro in the center of the province 13. Municipalities such as Torremolinos, Benahavís, Estepona, and Gaucín also stand out. According to Aemet data, those places have collected between 42 and 37 litres per square metre until 8.00 am on Saturday.