- The rains accumulated in the second fortnight give this spring a very humid character
- Day 21 begins the summer after the warmest spring quarter in 63 years
June 13, 2023. The month of May, with a rainfall of 127.8 l/m2, has been the wettest of, at least, the last 83 years, so the rains accumulated especially in the second half of this month have granted spring a very humid character.
During these three months, from March to May, the average total rainfall in the Region of Murcia was 136.3 l/m2, which represents 144% of the average value of the reference period and places it as the eighth wettest spring quarter of the 21st century. The rainfall collected during these three months is equivalent to 43% of that expected for the whole year (315.2 l/m2).
The highest rainfall was accumulated in points of the Vega del Segura and Northwest, with more than 200 l/m2, and in Cehegín was where the maximum rainfall of the quarter was recorded, 260 l/m2.
Where less precipitation accumulated was in points of the east coast, with accumulations between 60 and 70 l/m2, as in the case of the San Javier Observatory, with 60 l/m2.
The most important episode of the quarter was the one from May 17 to 31, in which 80% of the precipitation of the quarter was accumulated. The rainfall was often accompanied by hail and reached locally very strong, and even torrential, intensities on the night of 22 to 23 in Cartagena.
The maximum daily rainfall, 104.2 l/m2, was recorded in Salinas de Cabo de Palos, on May 23. The maximum rainfall in one hour was 63 l/m2 during the morning of the 23rd in Cartagena, and the maximum rainfall accumulated in 10 minutes, 19.7 l/m2, was recorded at the Observatory of Alcantarilla on May 30.
Hail
Hail was recorded at some point in the Region, on March 1 and 18, on April 29, and on May 13, 19, 20, 25, 28, 30 and 31. They highlighted the unique hailstorms of the 13th and 19th of May in the municipality of Lorca. A snow day has been registered, on March 1, in Sierra Espuña, but no snow day has been observed at the reference station of Cañada de La Cruz, Moratalla, a fact that did not happen since 2015.
Temperatures
The period from March to May 2023 had an extremely warm thermometric character, with an average temperature of 16.8°C and an anomaly of +2.0°C. It was the warmest spring in the series, beating the previous season, 16.3°C, in 2006.
The mean maximum temperatures were 23.7°C, with an anomaly of +2.8°C, the warmest in the series, surpassing the previous ephemeris, 23.2°C, recorded in 1961. The average of the minimums was 9.9°C, with an anomaly of +1.1°C, that is, the second highest in the series, after the 10.5°C corresponding to the spring of 2006.
The month of March, with an average temperature of 14.8°C and an anomaly of +2.7°C, was very warm, the second warmest in the series, only after March 2001; April, with an average temperature of 17.7°C and an anomaly of +3.3°C, was extremely warm, the warmest in the series; and May, with an average of 18.0°C, coinciding with the average value of the reference period, was normal.
Warmer and colder day
On average, the warmest day of the quarter was April 29, and the coldest was March 1. In the evolution of the maximum temperatures of the quarter, highlighted the cold episode from March 1 to 5, then the persistence of values well above the normal from March 6 to May 10, to end the quarter with temperatures below the normal values for the time.
In the evolution of the minimum temperatures, the values lower than the normal values (cold period) of the first of March stood out, subsequently prevailing the values above the normal until May 12.
The highest regional daily average of the maximum temperatures was observed on April 25, being the absolute maximum temperature of the quarter 35.9°C, recorded in Cieza that day and in the Alfonso XIII Reservoir, on April 26. The lowest mean maximum temperatures were observed on March 2, where the maximum temperatures of 5.0°C were not exceeded in Campo de San Juan, Moratalla.
The highest regional daily average of the minimum temperatures was also recorded on April 29, however, the highest minimum of the quarter was observed in the Totana station, with 21.3°C, on March 31.
Five tropical nights have been registered in the quarter, the first on March 31 in stations such as Archena and Totana, and later on April 1, 26, 29 and 30 in other stations.
The lowest average of the minimum temperatures was that of March 1, registering the absolute minimum of the quarter, -7.0°C, that day, in the Valdehell-Reservoir (Lorca).
Ephemerides
-Ephemeris of average monthly and average maximum temperatures have been overcome in many stations of the Region, among them:
Advance June
The month began with the same behavior with which May ended, with maximum temperatures below normal values, especially abnormal ones on day 7, while the minimum ones were closer to normal values.
Precipitation
During the first ten of June, an average rainfall in the Region of 24.9 l/m2 was recorded. This month of June, even if it did not rain any more, it would already have a humid character. Where more precipitation has accumulated, more than 50 l/m2, has been to the west of the Region, and where less, less than 10 l/m2, to the east and south.
Precipitation has been recorded throughout the days of this decade at some point in the Region. The most important accumulations were recorded on day 1, collecting 45 l/m2 at the station of Fuentes del Marqués, Caravaca.
The rainfall of days 1 and 3 reached very strong intensities: day 1 in stations such as Benizar (Moratalla), Caravaca and Zarcilla de Ramos (Lorca), where, in addition, 24 l/m2 were accumulated in just 10 minutes; and day 3 in Cartagena.
6 days of storm have been recorded: days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8, with a total of 1249 discharges, day 1 being the day with the highest electrical activity with 621 discharges. On day 8, mud rain was recorded.
HYDROLOGICAL YEAR (October 2022 to June 10, 2023)
The rainfall accumulated in the Region from October 1, 2022 to June 10, 2023, 238 l/m2, corresponds to 96% of the average value for the same period, and confers a dry character, very close to the normal value. This period of the hydrological year has been the driest of the last five years.
The months of October, December and February have been pluviometrically normal; November was dry; January, March and April were very dry; and May has been extremely humid. If it didn’t rain any more in June, its character would be humid.