Let me explain. Southern Spain has experienced drought conditions for the last three years. The water levels in our reservoirs are very low – indeed, some are officially empty. Restrictions on water use have been extremely strict, although, with an eye on earnings from tourism, they were relaxed for the summer season.
Reservoir at Zahara de la Sierra [Photo courtesy of Alamy]
Since 1 October, restrictions have been re-introduced: no filling of pools; no use of garden hoses; no washing of cars except in auto-lavados (car-washes); no hosing down of streets by councils in the early hours; no sprinklers on golf courses.
In some areas water has been switched off during the hours of darkness. Beach showers have been turned off on the eastern Costa del Sol.
Hace buen tiempo
A couple of times I have been admonished by my neighbours, most of whom depend on rainwater for their crops, by referring to the odd downpour as bad weather.
¡Hombre, no! Hace buen tiempo. Nos hace falta agua urgentemente.
Obvious when you think about it - for agricultural workers and wine producers/vintners rain represents GOOD weather.
Photo courtesy of BenitoLink
The Rain in Spain
I have been resident in Spain for more than 15 years and have written complainingly about the wet weather we had in 2010, 2018 (twice) and 2021, which caused lots of devastation and some loss of life.
December 2010
It hardly stopped raining in the Serranía de Ronda in December of that year! Over 500 litres per square metre fell in just two weeks, according to the Spanish Met Office (INM)!
Local rivers burst their banks five times! Hotels and other holiday accommodation were inundated and put out of business, some for good, homes were flooded and crops ruined.
The infrastructure was significantly damaged: roads, rail lines, public buildings, housing stock, drainage systems. Houses grew mould inside because of the ongoing damp conditions and no chance to dry out.
September 2018
“The rain in Spain falls mainly on the pla–ain”
This lyric from the musical My Fair Lady is a load of nonsense. In my years of experience living in the Serranía de Ronda, the rain in Spain falls mainly on the adjacent Sierra de Grazalema. In fact, the town of Grazalema is the wettest place in Spain. According to official statistics, more of the wet stuff falls on this pretty mountain town than anywhere else in the whole of Spain.
In the spring heavy rain fell over a short period and caused major flooding around the Serranía de Ronda. At the Hotel Molino del Puente, at the bottom of the hill below our house, the restaurant, bar and terrace ended up under 30cm of water. Miraculously the hotel was cleaned, dried out and re-opened within 48 hours!
Hotel Molino del Puente, Ronda before the flood [Photo: KAYAK]
October 2018
Then in October of the same year, so much rain fell in three hours that the whole of the area was declared an emergency zone.
The hotel suffered again – this time water was lapping the ceiling of the bar and restaurant, and first floor rooms were flooded by the torrent that ran off the fields, busted the land drains and entered through the front door of the hotel. This time the clear-up took longer and the hotel didn’t re-open until April 2019.
The road past our house became a river. A friend’s car was washed away and mine was left suspended over a ditch that had been created when the water rinsed away the side of the road where my car was parked.
In Ronda, the emblematic Arab Baths were badly damaged and many streets, including the main shopping street Calle La Bola, were flooded, as the drainage infrastructure failed to cope.
Around the Serranía low-lying villages such as Benaoján Estación, flooded,de Líbar Estación, La Cañada del Real Tesoro and El Colmenar were severely flooded and some houses wrecked.
Flooding around the Arab Baths in Ronda in 2019 [Photo: La Sexta]
January 2021
“Here comes the rain again!”
We experienced a period of rainfall, but fortunately, toca madera (touch wood) it didn’t cause a huge amount of damage. Given the amount of dry weather in the preceding years, the water was very welcome for the farmers and in order to top up our rather empty reservoirs.
2021 – 2024
Since the start of 2021 until the beginning of October 2024 it has not rained to any great extent. For the last week, however, and for the foreseeable future heavy rain is forecast.
At last, a spell of good weather!
© Pablo de Ronda
Links:
Aemet eleva a naranja el aviso por fuertes lluvias en toda Málaga: hasta 50 litros en una hora (malagahoy.es)
The rain in Spain... (secretserrania.com)
Photos:
AEMET
Alamy
BenitoLink
KAYAK
La Sexta
Tags:
Arab Baths, Baños Arabes, Benaoján Estación, Calle La Bola, El Colmenar, Grazalema, Hotel Molino del Puente, INM, Jimera de Líbar Estación, La Cañada del Real Tesoro, My Fair Lady, Pablo de Ronda, Rain, rain in Spain, Ronda, Secret Serrania, Serrania de Ronda, Spanish Met Office