Spain: Malaga hit with 4 times more rain than average in March yet country fears drought | Travel News | Travel

Water levels are calculated over a hydrological year, which does not begin on January 1 but October 1. The recent heavy rainfall in Spain this month has given reservoirs some respite, however not enough to dispel fears of drought.

The average rainfall for March in Malaga is set at 52 litres per square metre.

However in 2022, 208 litres has been collected per square metre, which is four times the average amount.

This has given some respite to Spain’s reservoirs, which are at 48 percent of their capacity, according to the Hidrosur network.

Alarmingly, in the past 34 years, there have been only three times that the level of water in the reservoirs was even lower.

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In 1995, the water levels were at 43.5 percent.

In 1993, the water levels were at 40.8 percent.

In 1992, the water levels were at 40.4 percent.

This year, the reservoirs have accumulated 295.77 hectometres per cubic metre and are approaching last year’s levels of 363.77 hectometres per cubic metre.

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Despite the abundance of rainfall in recent weeks, weather expert and director of AEMET Malaga Jesus Riesco revealed that it has only rained 60 percent of what it should have in a hydrological year.

This means that Spain is 40 percent short of its annual rainfall.

The expert highlighted that Spain is moving into its hotter, sunnier months, with its rainier months between October and December.

“The months in which more rain is expected have already passed.”