How rainfall in Spain has changed over the last 30 years, in maps: the result is clear, alarming, and there’s no going back

A new analysis of Spanish rainfall shows a broad, structural decline in precipitation over the last 30 years.

Using AEMET data from 71 long-running stations, the study compares 1961–1990 with 1996–2025 and finds lower rainfall across most of Spain.

The steepest drops appear in Galicia’s interior, Extremadura, and the central-western peninsula, with only a few localized exceptions in the northwest and parts of the Pyrenees.

The trend adds pressure on agriculture, groundwater recharge, and water supplies as climate-driven drying intensifies.