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Date Published: 14/02/2022

ARCHIVED - Dry spring-like week ahead: Weather watch Alicante February 14-20

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Alicante province could be put on alert due to a lack of rain for the first time in five years

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Dry spring-like week ahead: Weather watch Alicante February 14-20

It will feel a lot more like spring than late winter in Alicante province this week, and for the rest of the month, with no sign of rainfall until March as the anticyclone continues to prevail in the Mediterranean.

And according to the State Meteorological Agency, the mild conditions could see highs of 23ºC from Thursday February 17, particularly in inland areas.

Today, and for the next couple of days, Alicante province can expect maximum temperatures of around 20ºC, whilst in the rest of the Valencia region, cloudy skies are likely with the possibility of scattered showers and light to moderate westerly winds.

But whilst the province will enjoy pleasant conditions, particularly for this time of year, the dry spell is not good news for the province's reservoirs.

In fact, for the first time in five years, Alicante could be put on alert due to the lack of water, with reservoirs at a third of their capacity.

And homeowners could feel the pinch, according to The Marina Baixa Water Consortium, which is warning that the price of water supply could rise by 25% if it's necessary to resort to desalination plants.

Consortium technical director, Jaime Berenguer, said the situation is "worrying", adding: "The only thing that can save this situation is rain normally brought about by the Levante storms. Without this type of phenomenon, the situation will be complicated, not only for the Marina Baixa area but for the whole province".

Empty reservoirs can have a direct impact on the price of water. When the reservoirs are depleted due to drought, desalination plants play a fundamental role in water supply.

"The problem this year is that the rise in the price of electricity could in turn lead to a rise in the price of water: desalination plants are industrial facilities that complement reservoirs, but their energy weight is 70%. Given that the price of energy has doubled or tripled, it is going to be a complicated year, as the price of water could also increase by around a quarter," warned the Consortium.

Also read: Electricity in Spain almost 700 per cent more than a year ago

January was particularly dry across the Valencia region, with average temperatures of 7.9 ºC and accumulated rainfall of 8.4 l/m2 - 80% lower than the climatic average for the period 1981-2010 (42.1 l/m2).

But despite the lack of a significant cold snap, January nights, on average for the month, were the coldest since 2005, and the second coldest this century.

Image: Aemet

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