Precipitation between March and May is almost 400% higher than normal for this time of year.
The Region of Murcia recorded this year the wettest spring of at least the last 62, although it had a normal thermal character. According to the climatological advance of the Aemet, another outstanding episode was the Saharan dust that took place from March 14 to 16, as well as a tornado on May 2.
Specifically, between March and May the average temperature was 14.8 degrees Celsius (ºC), 0.2 above normal and coinciding with the values of last spring. The average of the maximum was 20.1 ºC (-0.6) and the minimum, 9.5 ºC (+1), being the fourth highest of the last 61 years.
The month of March was cold, and April, very cold. May, on the other hand, had a very warm thermal character. In the evolution of the maximum temperatures of the quarter, the persistence of values below normal during March and the beginning of April stood out, giving way to a highly variable period until the beginning of May to later dominate the very high temperatures for the season .
Minimum above normal
The average of the maximum temperatures of the two-month period of March and April at the Murcia observatory was the lowest of its series for this period, below that of the same two-month period of 2004. For its part, the minimum temperatures remained practically the entire quarter above normal values, highlighting the very high lows of March 15.
The highest regional daily average of maximum temperatures was observed on May 23 and 29, registering the absolute maximum temperature of the quarter, 37.0 ºC, in the Pliego dam and in Los Almadenes (Cieza) on the 29th. The highest regional daily minimum temperatures were also recorded on May 29, closely followed by May 23. For its part, the first tropical night of spring was observed on May 19 at coastal stations.
precipitation
The average total rainfall in the Region of Murcia between March and May 2022 was 345.4 liters per square meter (l/m2), which represents 375% of the average value, with the period being extremely wet. This quarter was the wettest in at least the last 62 years, widely exceeding the previous event in spring 2014, with 214.8 l/m2. It should be noted that the average rainfall this spring is 10% higher than expected for the whole year, 316.6 l/m2.
It should be noted that the last four springs had a very wet or extremely wet character. Although the rainfall of the three months contributed to the extremely humid nature of this spring, it was March that stood out the most since, with a regional accumulation of 217 l/m2 and an extremely humid nature, they were the most abundant for any month in at least the 62 years of records, even exceeding those accumulated in December 2016, 188.3 l/m2.
Likewise, in March the ephemeris of rainy days were exceeded in some stations. The month of April was very humid with a rainfall of 88 l/m2, and May was humid with 40 l/m2. In the observatories of Murcia, with a quarterly accumulation of 270.8 l/m2 and Alcantarilla, with 301.1 l/m2, this spring has been the wettest of their series of 38 and 82 years, respectively, surpassing the previous ephemeris of 228.0 l/m2 in 2004, in the case of the Murcia observatory, and 237.6 l/m2 in 1951, for the Alcantarilla observatory.
In San Javier, with an accumulated quantity of 284.6 l/m2, this spring was the second wettest of its 78 years of data, behind that of 1954 (with 327.5 l/m2). He also highlighted the number of days of precipitation during the quarter, 35 at the Murcia observatory and 33 at the San Javier observatory, exceeding the previous 34 and 30 days, respectively, recorded in several years. At the Alcantarilla observatory, the 37 days of precipitation in the quarter were the second highest value in the series, behind the 38 days in the spring of 1981.
Where more precipitation accumulated was in the surroundings of Sierra Espuña and areas of the Northwest region, exceeding 600 l/m2, with a quarterly maximum of 758 l/m2 in La Carrasca, Totana. On the contrary, where less precipitation accumulated was in areas of the Altiplano, such as in Jumilla with 184 l/m2.
The maximum daily rainfall for the quarter, 122.7 l/m2, was recorded on March 23 in «Huerta Espuña», Alhama de Murcia. The maximum accumulated in one hour, 45.0 l/m2, was recorded on May 2 in Fuentes del Marqués, Caravaca, registering that day the maximum accumulated rainfall in 10 minutes (17.2 l/m2) in Mula.
saharan dust
On the afternoon of March 14, associated with the Celia storm, there was an intrusion of Saharan dust that dyed the skies an orange color, giving rise to an extraordinary episode of haze, both due to its intensity and its persistence, lasting until on March 16.
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