Monday, November 20, 2023, 00:49
The hydrological year that runs from October 1 to September 30, concluded as the sixth driest of the 21st century and the eleventh in the historical series, since 1961.
The hydrological year ended with a total precipitation of 560.7 millimeters over the whole of peninsular Spain, which is 12% less than the average value of the reference period 1991-2020, estimated at 640.1 millimeters.
The 2022/23 hydrological year therefore had a globally dry character in Spain as a whole: 14.6% of the national territory is in emergency due to water scarcity and 27.4% is on alert due to the global average precipitation being It is 17.1% below the normal reference value for the same months of the 1991-2020 period.
The current shortage indices in the basin are under alert level
As a consequence, the reserve in the reservoirs has decreased considerably in the last 10 years. The data show that the thresholds are especially low: the Spanish water reserve was at the end of the hydrological year at 37% with 20,734 hm3 accumulated, being the Guadalquivir accounts (19.1%), the internal ones of Catalonia (23.3% ) and Segura (24.4%) are those that are going through a more serious situation. The DANA in September brought relief in some areas, improved soil humidity and has served to recover a certain volume of storage, however, it has not solved the existing problems.
In the regional territory
With regard to the Region of Murcia, rainfall from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, 299 liters/m2, represents 95% of the normal value for the same period of the hydrological year and is normal. , being the least humid in the last 5 years.
The average rainfall recorded in the Region of Murcia during the last hydrological year was just over 270 liters per square meter. This value represents 77.5% of the normal average amount in the Community.
The months of October, December, February and September were normal rainfall; November and August were dry; January, March and April were very dry; June and July were very wet; and May was extremely wet.
The most abundant rainfall was recorded in areas of the Northwest and around Cabo de Palos. At these points, the total accumulated rainfall managed to exceed 400 liters per square meter, exceeding the usual values by more than 25%.
On the opposite side is the southwest of the Region, with precipitation data below 200 mm.
Comparing these data with the average number of records achieved in the Region of Murcia, very few areas have reached normal rainfall values for the season.
The storms pass by
During the month of September, in which the hydrological year closed, an average precipitation of 34.7 liters per square meter was recorded in the Region, which represents 123% of the median value for the month of September, and a normal rainfall.
However, the month of September was very humid in terms of precipitation at the national level, with an average precipitation value over peninsular Spain of 67.4 millimeters, a value that represents 151% of the normal value for the month (period of reference: 1991-2020). It was the eighth wettest September since the series began in 1961, and the wettest of the 21st century. You have to go back to 1999 to find a rainier September than 2023.
And yet, the current scarcity indices in the Segura basin are at alert level, since the storms that have been sweeping the peninsula during the month of October have not affected the Mediterranean basin either.
The shortage index of the global system that includes contributions and stocks from the basin and the Tajo-Segura transfer is 0.234 out of 1, which corresponds to the alert situation.
It is worth highlighting that the Segura basin maintains the absence of prolonged drought, which is calculated only with rainfall data, which implies the maintenance of the ecological flows contemplated in hydrological planning, and which are a restriction on uses, excluding the catering.
The drought has directly affected trees and fruit production, both due to the lack of rain and water restrictions for irrigation. In this way, smaller-caliber products have been obtained in sweet fruit, which receive lower prices in the market and have a negative impact on the profitability of the farms.
Winemaking production prospects have improved somewhat following recent rains. The lack of rainfall since the first months of the year with higher temperatures than usual, in addition to the episodes of hail, storms and spring frosts, or attacks of mildew in some regions, led to a lower harvest than last year. The sector manages a production level of around 36 million hectoliters of wine, compared to 41 million last season.
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