AEMET Confirms Heavy Rains To Come

“WHEN it rains in Spain, it falls mostly on the plain” or so the saying goes, however, many parts of the country can expect heavy rainfall this month and throughout the summer.

AEMET, the National Spanish Weather Agency, has confirmed that the coming rainfall will be heavy and more flood risks are predicted this summer.

Just last week, heavy rains and hail fell to record levels in Valencia, not seen since 1987, across Spain, intense rains this summer have given rise to heavy flooding, which resulted in some dramatic images, including that of the woman stranded atop her car in a flash flood in Zaragoza.

Drought Worries

Rainfall is always welcome in Spain, as this year, 15 per cent less rainfall fell over the country, leading to serious drought concerns, with reservoirs only filling 47 per cent of their total capacity. Hotter and hotter summers have a significant impact, with a greater risk of drought, forest fires and heat-related health issues such as dehydration and sunstroke. In 2023, Spain is experiencing the worst drought conditions since 1970, due to the lack of rainfall for the first 100 days of the year. However, the risk of flooding is a worry and has devastating effects.

Extreme Temperatures to Continue

AEMET fears that storms are on the horizon after the country is already reeling from extreme temperatures and various heat waves. A maximum of 44ºc was reached in the central and southern parts of the country in a heatwave that has broken all previous records. This trend of increasingly hot summers may be here to stay.

AEMET forecasts that the sun will still shine, however, cloudy skies are forecast for Cantabria and some weak rainfall over the coming week. Cloudy intervals in the rest of the northernmost part of the peninsula are likely, with scattered rainfall. In the Mediterranean area, there may also be some intervals of low clouds.

Temperatures are predicted to drop in the coming week for welcome respite before temperatures rise again at the end of the week as another searing heatwave begins, continuing a trend that has defined the summer of 2023. The forecast of extremely high temperatures is predicted for July, August and September.