All territories of Spain are subject to droughts to some degree given the location of the country to the south of the

westerlies The westerlies, anti-trades, or prevailing westerlies, are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes (about ...

, although their impact and frequence is uneven. Droughts occur when precipitation is considerably reduced during the theoretically rainy months of the year.

Overview

Four types of climatic droughts can be defined: Cantabrian (coyuntural and low-frequence droughts), Iberian (droughts usually affecting the entire

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, except the Cantabrian façade), southeastern (structural droughts, the mirror opposite of the Cantabrian ones) and

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians (), are the people of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of Northwest Africa. The distinctive variety of the Spanish language spoken in the region is known as ''habla canaria'' (Ca ...

droughts. The drought, along with high winds and fallen cables, is being looked at as a prime causal factor in

forest fires A forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Au ...

.The worst drought in Spain in 70 years
In 2012 Spain experienced the driest period since the 1940s, with rainfall decreased by up to 75%. Most rain in Spain falls in the winter as wet, low-pressure systems coming from the Atlantic Ocean, but a high-pressure system called the Azores high can block these weather fronts coming from the Atlantic Ocean (Carrington, 2022). From 1850 to 1980, the frequency of this high-pressure system, Azores High, was once every seven years. But data has shown that after 1980 the frequency became once every four years. The problem of the Azores high is that it reduces about one third of the monthly rainfall in the winters (Carrington, 2022). Since the industrial revolution, the Azores high, which is also called the ''Gatekeeper'' of European Rainfall has become more frequent. Research has shown that the Azores High has expanded as the earth has warmed (Tandon, 2022). The expansion of the Azores High will intensify the drought in Portugal and Spain, and it's expected that these two regions will see a 10-20% drop in winter precipitation in upcoming winters.

References

;References ;Bibliography * {{Europe topic, Drought in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Water in Spain

Overview

See also

References