December weather
Wow what a scorcher! December weather here in Marbella and the Malaga province has been fantastic for holidaymakers, businesses and airlines. However the cost to the environment has been extensive.
The official Costa del Sol weather station recorded the hottest December day in Spain on record with almost 30 degrees. The temperature was recorded on 12 December at Malaga airport and smashed the previous high registered 25 years ago – by almost 5 degrees.
On the flip side, the continuous sunny weather, seasonally high temperatures and lack of rain have had a catastrophic impact on water levels. Malaga was set to go into red alert drought level in early 2024 if rains don’t arrive.
The red level warnings have already been in place in the Axarquia and on the western strip of the Costa del Sol for some months.
What was promised to be a wet autumn, didn’t turn out to be and that is reflected in the water reserves. The rainfall collected in the Guadalhorce reservoirs this autumn is an insufficient 47mm. Supply in three crucial Guadalhorce valley reservoirs that feed Malaga city is now dwindling and the level has dropped below the 71 cubic hectometre barrier set by the Junta de Andalucía.
However the Marbella desalination plant is now operating at its maximum capacity possible during refurbishment works. Some 21% of the supply to the coast comes from this plant.
President of the Andalucia Regional Government Juanma Moreno has proposed that construction start on new desalination plants as soon as possible and be operational by 2027 to combat ongoing drought conditions.
