The drought continues

Mainland Portugal is experiencing a drought that the authorities are calling the worst in the last 100 years, with almost the entire country in severe or extreme drought. When we were living in Manchester, we couldn't help but wonder how on earth hosepipe bans could be introduced in such a rainy place. Here in Portugal it is understandable, as the country experiences one of the worst situations of the last century.

For a year, mainland Portugal has had some level of drought in most of the country. Even in the winter months the whole country was in drought, with more than half of the territory in extreme drought last February. The government has been forced to take measures, monitoring and restricting water use - mostly for energy production and irrigation.

We can confirm it has been one extremely hot and dry year. In fact, Portugal recorded its hottest July on record, and almost all of the country was under a red heat warning, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in several districts.

Heatwaves and droughts are not uncommon in Portugal, but climate change has left the Iberian peninsula at its driest in 1,200 years, and winter rains are expected to fall further. It is quite a scary situation when you consider rainfall was the second-lowest since 1931 when reliable records began.

Climate scientists say all of Southern Europe can expect higher temperatures and lower rainfall as a consequence of global warming, and weather experts believe Southern Europe’s climate is changing to resemble that of North Africa. That all means this summer is perhaps just an insight into the way things will be in the years to come.