Temperatures around the world are steadily rising as the effects of climate change intensify. Last year, 2017, was one of the warmest on record in Spain. In fact, it was the second warmest year ever recorded, with 1965 being the warmest.
Do you want to know the data about this year 2017?
Summary of the year 2017
This year's average annual temperatures have been the highest since 1965, reaching 16,2 degrees Celsius. In addition, it has been a very dry year with only 474 liters of rainfall per square meter. This figure is 27% lower than the normal average.
According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), temperatures in 2017 increased by 1,1 degrees Celsius compared to the average annual value for the reference period 1981-2010, and by 0,2 degrees Celsius compared to the previous highest recorded in 2011, 2014, and 2015. Meanwhile, historical temperature records in Spain demonstrate the severity of this climate situation.
Although the year began with a rather cold January due to the cold waves that occurred, February was very warm, as was spring. Average spring temperatures were 1,7 degrees Celsius higher than normal. Furthermore, summer was also very warm, exceeding the average by 1,6 degrees Celsius, adding to the driest summers in recent years.
During autumn, temperatures are expected to decrease and rainfall to increase. However, this has not been the case. Temperatures have remained 0,8 degrees Celsius above the average for this season, and rainfall has been very low, exacerbating the effects of the drought, which is causing widespread damage. To better understand this situation, it is helpful to examine how climate change affects weather patterns.
December has been quite cold, reaching 0,4 degrees below average, but this has been caused by the fronts and cold waves that have taken place.
Waves of heat and cold
Throughout the summer, there have been frequent episodes of significantly higher than normal temperatures, both on the Iberian Peninsula and in the Balearic and Canary Islands. Three major heat waves have occurred. The first took place between June 13 and 21 and primarily affected the west, center, and northeast of the peninsula; the second occurred between July 12 and 16, with the highest temperatures of the summer —reaching up to 46,9 degrees Celsius in Córdoba and 45,4 in Badajoz —and mainly affected the south and center of the peninsula; and the third occurred between August 2 and 6, primarily affecting the south and east of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands. This series of heat waves highlights how they are linked to global warming.
On the other hand, 2017 has also had cold waves that have lowered temperatures. The cold wave that took place between January 18 and 20 affected the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands due to a continental air mass that caused the lowest temperatures of the year (-13,8 degrees in the Port of Navacerrada or -13,4 in Molina de Aragón).
Precipitation
The year 2017 marks another year of water deficit, contributing to the most severe drought Spain has faced since 1995. Both autumn and spring saw such low rainfall that this year is the second driest in recorded history, with 2005 being the driest. Rainfall levels only slightly exceeded normal levels in an area encompassing northern Basque Country, much of Navarre, Mallorca, and parts of Alicante. It is crucial to understand that this drought situation is closely linked to the alarming drought conditions across Spain.
Conversely, rainfall was 25% lower than these values across much of the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula, large areas of Castile and León, Catalonia, the southern half of Aragon, the northern half of the Valencian Community, areas west and east of Galicia, Castile-La Mancha, Madrid, the Canary Islands, and Ibiza. This drought situation is closely related to the effects of climate change on precipitation.
This year joins the warmest and driest affected by the growing effects of global warming, being the third warmest on record since the industrial revolution and greenhouse gas emissions began.
