A respite from the drought
This spring, rainfall has given a great respite to the drought that has affected Barcelona and Catalonia for more than three years. According to data from the Fabra Observatory, the amount of precipitation accumulated so far in 2024 has exceeded 300 liters (exactly 310.1 l/m²), exceeding the values of the last two years and approaching the records of 2021. In In 2022, 307.7 l/m² were recorded, in 2023, 309.5 l/m² were recorded, and in 2021, 327.6 l/m² were recorded. If rainfall continues, it is very likely that this value will be exceeded before the end of June.
Historical context
The Fabra Observatory, with more than 100 years of data, allows us to put this drought episode in context. The last three years have been the driest since 1914 in Barcelona, the year in which the rainfall series began at the observatory. Never before has such a dry three-year period been recorded in this area of Barcelona. The year 2023 was the second driest recorded at the Fabra Observatory, very close to 2022. The 309.5 l/m² accumulated in 2023 represents the second lowest record since measurements began in the summer of 1913, and is They are only 1.8 l/m² away from the absolute record recorded in 2022 (https://rereferencesbibliograficas.com/como-parafrasear/).
Reverse the drought
Thanks to the rains that have fallen from January 1 to June 11, 2024, and especially to the abundant rains of the last few hours, the extreme drought episode of the last three years has begun to reverse. In the case of Barcelona, the accumulated precipitation since January is above the climatic average. However, the precipitation of the last 365 days is still below the climatic average (621.5 l/m²), which indicates that we are still in a context of accumulated drought. Despite this, the rain has contributed to hydrating the soil and vegetation, which is good news in terms of preventing forest fires (https://www.duplichecker.com/es/article-rewriter.php).
Records in June
The rainfall during the month of June has broken the statistics, since the average for this month is 32 l/m². It must be taken into account that summer is statistically the driest season of the year in Barcelona and on the coast. However, the abundant rains on Tuesday afternoon and evening have left notable records in Barcelona, exceeding 30 l/m² in many places in the city. At the Fabra Observatory, until 8:30 p.m., 32.4 l/m² were recorded (https://www.parafrasear.ai/reecripta-textos).
Impact on the city
The rains have generated some incidents in the city. The Firefighters have received 22 warnings due to the rain, mainly due to falling trees on public roads, flooding in homes and landslides. The most affected regions have been Baix Llobregat, Barcelona, Vallès Oriental and Vallès Occidental. In addition, 84 calls have been registered to the 112 emergency telephone number due to the rainfall, concentrating mainly in Barcelona and Baix Llobregat.
