You could suspect it but the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya confirms it: March has been the rainiest month of the XXI century and almost, almost, since records have been kept.
The continuous rains have bathed the country and have filled the reservoirs, saving more than one from a critical situation, returning a healthy average of 60% of filling to the reservoirs and thus bringing the end of the drought that has been plaguing Catalonia for several years.
We tell you the data that confirm the exceptionality of this March and we show you images that show the before and after of the country after the rains.
Why has it rained so much?
As explained by the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya , the rainy episode of March is due to a zonal flow displaced towards the south of the European continent, which has favored the arrival of Atlantic fronts loaded with moisture. In total, the month has recorded rainfall well above average, highlighting accumulations of more than 500 mm in the Port massif and 400 mm in points of Montseny, Alt Empordà and the southern Pyrenees.
Some areas especially benefited from the rains have been the Parc Natural dels Ports, the rainiest area of the country during March, with 504 l/m2, that is, half of what usually rains in the area in a whole year.
The second rainiest regions were Viladrau (Osona), with 385 l/m2 and Espot (Pallars Sobirà), with 379.5 l/m2.
In total, 95 points of the 186 that the Xarxa d’Estacions Meteorològiques Automàtiques (XEMA) has exceeded any previous record, with stations that are more than 30 years old.
In addition to the rains, March has also been a cold month, especially in the highest areas. The average temperature was below the usual climatology, with anomalies of up to -2.2 ºC in Gisclareny (Berguedà) and -2.1 ºC in Espot (Pallars Sobirà). This thermal decrease is explained, in part, by the persistent cloudiness, which prevented maximum temperatures from reaching normal values for the season.
Before and after
The continuous rains have left, in addition to the reservoirs, images unprecedented in years: those of a Catalonia greened by the constant water and white mountains thanks to the snowfalls.
The satellite images of before and after show how the green color spreads through Catalonia at the beginning of April, leaving a very different image to that of just a few weeks ago.
If you want to see more satellite images, you can find them in this link, where you can consult different types of satellites by dates.