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The rains of the last days They have put end to the pertinaz drought that still affected some Spanish basins. However, water so longed for in some areas has also flooded some areas of the country, especially in the south and west of the peninsula.
Flooded areas. Numerous areas of the country have dawned under the threat of floods. The rainfall associated with Borrasca Laurence has made Cut roads and evict homes Faced with the risk of floods In Andalusia and Estremadura. Part of Murcia is now under orange warning decreed by the State Meteorology Agency (Aemet).
It rains a lot. A determining factor in which we have reached this situation has been the persistence of these rains. Not only has it rained much, The three successive fronts that Laurence has brought the peninsula have put pressure on the water systems of the southwest, forcing water at various points.
As if this were not enough, on the Atlantic Horizon A new storm appears: Martinho. This new storm is expected to reach the Peninsula tomorrow Wednesday.
Not just rain. The risk of floods has also been exacerbated by spring thaw. In this sense, Aemet has also issued Several notices yellow by thaw in areas of the central system.
To what extent the situation is “normal”. We are in spring, rainfall is not something anomalous on these dates, but Aemet’s forecasts For the remainder of the month of March they are clear: the next few days are also expected wetter than usual in much of the country (except for the Cantabrian mountain range and the island communities), and especially in the southwest quadrant.
End of drought? We were therefore before the end of an important drought that affected practically the entire country between 2023 and 2024. A drought that still kept some basins such as the Catalans or those of the south, despite the intense rain episodes seen in the second half of 2024.
Now, we see that the reservoirs have been maintained almost constantly with filling levels above average of the last 10 years during what we have been in 2025, and this month of rainfall seems aimed at accentuating this increase (compensating A drier February than usual). Everything seems to indicate that the drought situation has been reversed. The problem is now to prepare for the next.
A paradox. This leads us to a paradoxical situation and is duty Plan a drought While we disembark water to avoid risks derived from the intense rainfall we are seeing these days (and that we will continue to see during the coming ones).
On the one hand, because the increase in oceanic and atmospheric temperatures facilitate the accumulation of water in the atmosphere. More loaded clouds involve an increase in the risk of intense rainfall and with it the risk of flooding.
On the other hand, the drought that we live seems to be more than one of the consequences of A aridification process which affects many areas of Spain. This process implies a trend that will make the most recurring droughts.
Image | ECMWF
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