Five-Year Drought Continues in Spain

Spain is now facing its fifth consecutive year of severe drought. This event, which began in 1990, affects most of the country, with the exception of the north coast regions. The most affected regions are Andalucía, Extremadura, and Castilla–la Mancha, all of them located in the southern half of Spain. In some climatological stations of these areas, the five-year agricultural period from 1 September 1990 to 31 August 1995 is the driest quinquennium of this century. Mean percentage departures from normal rainfall exceed -20% in the southern half of the country and in some isolated areas of the Duero and Ebro basins. In some areas of the southwest, the deficit reaches values close to 40% (Andalucía, Extremadura). Most of the climatological stations of the southern half of Spain have recorded three or more years with rainfall in the 0-20 percentile range during this five-year period. Some areas of the southern coast, such as Málaga, are also included in this category