The strong rains received in recent days in Cordova have visibly improved the situation of the reservoirs. These infrastructures They have gained 58 cubic hectometers since last Thursday and now store a total of 637 cubic hectometers. To get an idea of the weight of the latest rainfall, it is worth comparing the current situation with what has happened since the beginning of the agricultural year, on September 1. Then, the reservoirs accumulated 497 cubic hectometers. The water received from the passage of the Karlotta storm represents, therefore, 41% of the accumulated in five months (there have been 140 cubic hectometers), according to the information from the Guadalquivir Hydrographic Confederation.
The contributions of recent days have been distributed unevenly and the CHG data indicates that they have been more significant in the Breñawhich has added almost 12 cubic hectometers; Guadalmellato, with 9.4 cubic hectometers, and Yeguas, with 10.2 cubic hectometers from Thursday to Sunday (the CHG issues its reports at 8:00 a.m., so they do not include what happened throughout this Sunday).
With these latest rains, the province’s reservoirs They are at 19% of their capacity and the improvement has barely served to equal the situation of a year ago, when they were at the same level. The data published by the CHG (the reports date back to 2013) show that the volume of impounded water is currently the lowest in the last decade. Thus, on February 11, 2014, the Cordoban swamps were practically full, at 90% of their capacity.
In fact, the State Meteorological Agency indicates that, according to the SPI36 index, the current drought began in March 2016 (with the Cordoban reservoirs at 62%), so it has already reached eight years. This duration makes it the longest drought since at least 1961.
It rains 57% more than usual for February
On a positive note, however, it should be noted that during this week the Córdoba Airport weather station has recorded 86.5 liters per square meter (until 6:10 p.m. this afternoon) and this amount exceeds by 57% the usual average rainfall for the month of February, which is 55 liters in the capital.
Regarding what happened in other areas, the 102.8 liters recorded in Cardena during the last days; the 90.6 liters of the Guadanuño reservoir and the 104.6 liters of Palm Tree Fountain.
The Guadalquivir multiplies its flow
These rains have caused a notable increase in the flow in rivers such as the Guadalquivir, which flows more strongly as it passes through Córdoba. In this sense, the information collected by the Confederation indicates that Villafranca It is the point in the province where the circulating flow has reached the highest peak in recent days, going from 12 cubic meters per second from 6:00 p.m. last Thursday at 277 cubic meters a day later.
In the last year (since mid-February 2023) the maximum circulating flow was recorded on October 21, with 41 cubic meters per second in the Guadalquivir as it passes through the municipality of Villafranca.
The maximums rise 12 degrees in one day
Regarding the forecasts of the Aemet For the next few days, the probability of rain will be 100% this Monday and will drop to 80% on Tuesday. In the following days, hardly any precipitation is expected and the highest probability percentage will occur on Thursday, February 15, with 35%. This agency has advanced, however, that both the last two weeks of the month and March could be rainier than normal.
Regarding temperatures, it is expected that this Monday the maximum temperatures will rise from the 11 degrees recorded today to 23 degrees Celsius. On Thursday they will rise again to 24 degrees, six degrees above the average for the month of February in the city of Córdoba, which is 17.4. Likewise, the minimum will be 13 degrees tomorrow, compared to the average 4.9 degrees.