MADRID, Spain: The average temperature in mainland Spain for January 2024 was 8.4 Celsius, or 2.4 degrees higher than average for the period and 0.4 degrees above the previous record set in 2016, said Aemet.
Temperatures reached or exceeded 20 degrees Celsius last month at nearly 400 weather stations, almost half of the country’s total.
Temperatures went up to 29.5°C in the eastern region of Valencia, 28.5°C in Murcia in the southeast and 27.8°C near Malaga in the south – levels usually seen in June.
Unseasonable winter weather, which drew people to beaches and outdoor cafes across Spain, delayed the start of the ski season and worsened a year-long drought in northeastern Catalonia and the southern region of Andalusia.
While January “was an overall rainy month, the distribution of precipitation was very uneven: it rained at least where precipitation was most needed,” spokesman for Aemet, Ruben del Campo said in a post on X.
Spain has already experienced the warmest year since Aemet annual records began in 2022, with an average annual temperature of almost 15.5 Celsius.
It was the first time that the average annual temperature exceeded 15 degrees Celsius.
Catalonia’s regional government last week declared a drought emergency for Spain’s second-largest city of Barcelona and much of the surrounding region, paving the way for tighter restrictions on water use after three years without significant rainfall.
It took the measures after water levels in reservoirs in the Mediterranean region fell below 16 percent of full capacity, a benchmark set by authorities for a new round of water-saving measures to affect around six million people.
Water levels in some reservoirs in Catalonia are so low that old bridges and even church bell towers have appeared in some areas.
Measures to limit water use include banning the use of fresh water for swimming pools, with some exceptions for recognized sports use. Cars can now also be washed only with recycled water and public gardens irrigated with groundwater.
The measure aims to reduce the amount of water used to irrigate crops by 80 percent, doubling the 40 percent reduction introduced last November.
Industry must reduce water consumption by 25 percent, compared to 15 percent previously.
Catalonia is facing its worst drought since records began in 1916, with rainfall below the region’s average over the past three years.
The drought is lasting more than twice as long as the previous drought in 2008, the regional government said.
Andalusia is also struggling with severe drought, with regional authorities warning that water restrictions will be needed in Seville and Malaga this summer if there is not enough rain by then.
Andalusia and Catalonia, Spain’s two most populous regions, are preparing to import fresh water by ship if needed.
“We are facing a very complicated situation,” Agriculture Minister Luis Planas told reporters in Madrid after news of January’s record temperature.
“The Spanish know very well that climate change is here,” he said further.
Experts say that human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and wildfires.
