Upside down seasons in Iberian peninsula
The Iberian peninsula — Spain and Portugal, faced extraordinary winter conditions this year. Farmers were devastated and governments spent millions of dollars to combat a severe drought.
On average, the Iberian peninsula has a total precipitation each winter of around 95.2 mm. This last winter, that number dropped to 50.2 mm, nearly 50% less than average. 2021/2022 has seen the second driest winter since 2000. Temperature-wise, winter has been a little warmer than usual, averaging in at 8.2 ᵒC, while in 2022 it was 9.2 ᵒC.
From the graph below we can see that nearly the entire peninsula had far less precipitation than the average. The only regions with positive anomalies were those that border France and Spain. The region to the North of Portugal had the biggest precipitation anomalies.
The drought afflicting the Iberian Peninsula is having a detrimental effect on drinking water supplies, with reservoirs depleting to 45 per cent of their capacity. According to ASOAGA in Spain, about 74% of the municipal water supply originates from surface water, 19% in groundwater and 7% in springs and desalination.
Problems with drinking water are not new for Spain. Last summer, dozens of villages struggled for drinking water due to agricultural pollution, a lack of water quality controls, and drought.
In the tweet below you can see the ghost village that appeared from the dried out reservoir in Lindoso. And in the video above, you can see the same location from a satellite image.
In Portugal, about 70 % of the water supply is supported by groundwater resources. Most of the water is used in the agricultural sector, followed by households and industry. On February 15, more than 90% of Portugal was in severe or extreme drought, according to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA). In comparison, in 2005, when Portugal faced one of the worst droughts on record, those conditions had spread across 77% of the territory.
Dams produce around 30% of Portugal’s electricity each year. This year, Portugal’s government ordered some if its 60 dams to heavily restrict water use for electricity and irrigation due to more pressing drinking water needs.
March brought some relief
Luckily, March has brought some relief and it has been much rainier than usual. On average, the Iberian peninsula sees 29.4 mm of precipitation each March. However, this year it has seen 52.1 mm. Luckily, this rain has been filling up water resources and it offers some relief for the region.
If we look at anomalies for this March, we can see positive anomalies — it is rainier than usual.
In conclusion, Iberian peninsula countries — Portugal and Spain — have faced serious droughts this past winter. Farmers were struggling and the lack of rain took a devastating toll on nature. Water usage had to be limited in some regions and people feared for a lack of reserves come the summer months. Luckily, March has brought some relief and has been much rainier than usual but climate change is due to exacerbate droughts so Spain and Portugal will need to start thinking hard about what the future holds for their water supplies.
