The Spanish Meteorological Institute has declared that for the last seven months Spain has been suffering severe drought. This is the first time ever that a public institution in Spain has given a drought warning.

According to figures released by the Institute, during the autumn and winter months it rained 37 percent less than the average for these seasons, and in January rainfall was barely a fifth of what it usually during the first month of each year. Rainfall registered between November and March has been the lowest since 1947, the year when Spain started measuring its rain.

According to the Institute, the areas worst hit by the drought are Extremadura, south-east Galicia, east Andalucia, Madrid, Castilla la Mancha and parts of Aragon and Catalonia.

Apparantly the cause of the drought was the presence of an anticyclone in western Spain which let in currents of air from the North Pole, causing a sharp drop in rain showers.

To see the full report, click here.

Related:
Spanish drought (June 2005)
Climate change in southern Spain