La primavera en Cantabria será «cálida» tras un invierno muy caluroso y seco.
Cantabria will have a «warm» spring, with temperatures between half and one degree above normal, after a very hot and dry winter, according to the forecast from the Territorial Delegation of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) in the autonomous community.
As for predictions about precipitation, there is still «no reliability» to predict whether spring will be «wetter or drier» as there is still «no clear signal.» At this time, AEMET cannot determine whether it will rain or not during Easter, which falls in mid-April this year.
This was explained on Tuesday at a press conference by the territorial delegate of AEMET in Cantabria, Sergio Fernández, and his supporting meteorologist, Leo Delgado, who explained that these types of forecasts for three months «carry great uncertainty.»
They have indicated that for the next few days, temperatures above normal are expected in Cantabria, with scarce precipitation and southerly winds.
WINTER IN CANTABRIA
Regarding winter in Cantabria, it has been «dry,» with 90% of precipitation compared to normal values, and «very warm,» 1.4ºC above average.
In terms of rainfall by month, there has been «quite a bit of variability» as December was «wet»; January was «dry,» and February was «very dry,» as it rained half of what is usual.
The most extreme rainfall this winter occurred between December 7 and 9. For example, on the 8th, 69.1 liters per m2 were recorded at the Terán station (Cabuérniga) or 66.6 l/m2 in Tresviso on the 9th.
In terms of temperature, there has been more stability throughout the winter, as December was «warm» and January and February were «very warm.» In fact, the first month of the year was the second warmest in Cantabria in the historical series, and February was the ninth.
As for the most extreme temperatures, AEMET data highlights the minimums of -10.9ºC recorded in Cubillo del Ebro (Valderredible) on January 14 or the -9.6ºC in Polientes that same day, and the -10.8ºC in Cabaña Verónica, in Picos de Europa, on February 11.
On the high end, there were 23.6ºC recorded at the Santander Airport station on February 21, and 23.4 in Treto (Bárcena de Cicero) that day.
As for the wind, it has been typical for this time of year, with the strongest gusts occurring on January 26 and 27 associated with the Herminia storm. Specifically, on the 26th, gusts reached 172 kilometers per hour at the Cable viewpoint, in the upper station of the Fuente Dé cable car.
In addition, a total of 170 lightning strikes were recorded in winter, 154 of which occurred between December 7 and 9. In January, there were 16, and in February, none.
On another note, AEMET representatives have explained that the hydrological year (which started in October) is dry in the Cantabrian region and wet in the Atlantic and Mediterranean slopes.
They have indicated that the reservoirs in Cantabria are in a «good situation,» with the Ebro reservoir at 66% capacity, with 356 cubic hectometers, and the Alsa reservoir at 90%, with 19 hm3.
Therefore, they have highlighted that the reserve is «much better» than in the previous two years, and if spring is normal or slightly wet, there are no expected water problems in the summer.
They have also provided some insights on winter in the entire Iberian Peninsula, which was the sixth warmest in the historical series dating back to the period 1961-1962, with temperatures 1.2ºC above normal, and the sixteenth driest, with 77% rainfall compared to the average. The Mediterranean slope was very dry, and the Cantabrian slope was dry.
They have also noted that it was the second consecutive winter in the country without any cold spells.
Although the meteorological winter comprises the months of December to February, they referred to the first half of March, where it rained «more than triple» in the southern and eastern parts of the peninsula, while in Cantabria, it was «rather dry» except for the past week due to the change in wind direction from south to northwest.
METEOROLOGY ON THE DAY OF THE QUADRUPLE FATAL ACCIDENT IN LUNADA
On the other hand, they were questioned by journalists about the meteorology at the Puerto de Lunada last Saturday, the place and day of the accident in which four young people from Madrid died after their car veered off the road and plummeted about 300 meters down the hillside.
In this regard, they clarified that AEMET does not have a meteorological station in the area, and the «closest» one is in San Roque de Riomiera, on the ascent to the Caracol pass—about 50 kilometers by road from the accident site—where there were light showers during the day, between 2 and 4 liters per square meter, and snow was recorded above 600 meters, but less than 2 centimeters. Above 1,000 meters, «there is no data, but it would be light snowfall in any case.»
Additionally, they informed that neither the Civil Guard nor the Government has requested meteorological data from AEMET for that day for the accident investigation.
OTHER MATTERS
On the other hand, the AEMET officials in Cantabria have reported some updates, such as the introduction of a new webpage on their website, called Respoira, about atmospheric pollution.
They also mentioned that after the recent snowfall, the snow information and avalanche risk bulletin has resumed in the Cordel and Peña Labra mountain ranges, in the Alto Campoo area.
Furthermore, they announced that on Monday, March 24, the awards will be given to the winners of the IX School Photography Contest ‘Learning to Observe with Meteorology,’ organized by AEMET in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, in which students from schools and institutes in Cantabria participated.
