February was warm and dry in Mallorca. | Archive

TW
0

The Aemet met agency reports that February 2022 was the second driest February this century - 2020 was drier - and the third warmest. There was just 21 per cent of normal rainfall across Spain, and this February was the third driest since current records started in 1961.

The month was extremely dry in the Balearics, areas of Castile and León, Aragon, Navarre, the Basque Country and La Rioja. In general, precipitation on the mainland and in the Balearics was less than 25 per cent of the normal amount. In the Canaries, February was more varied. In general, it was normal, except in Gran Canaria, where it was dry.

In terms of temperatures, the third warmest February this century gave an average temperature for the whole of Spain of 8.9C, which was 1.9C above normal based on the 1981-2010 reference period. February 2022 was the third warmest behind those of 2021 and 2020; the last three have been the warmest. For the period from 1961, it was the eighth warmest.

Lower than normal temperatures were the exception - parts of the Andalusian Mediterranean coast, for instance. In the Balearics, February was "warm" in Mallorca and Minorca and normal in Ibiza and Formentera, while in the Canaries it was variable, resulting in a very warm overall.

For the whole country, there was a great contrast between maximum and minimum daily temperatures. This was because of the persistence of anticyclonic conditions. The maximums were 3.1ºC above the average, while the minimums were 0.6ºC above normal.