Spain could face three more months of warmer and drier conditions as Europe suffers a major drought that has fuelled forest fires, dried up rivers and devastated crops.
The news comes as beach showers in Spain were turned off this summer due to the worsening effects of the drought. The EU's Copernicus programme said in a report for the month of August: "Warmer and drier than usual conditions are likely to occur in the western Euro-Mediterranean region in the coming months until November 2022."
Almost half of the 27-nation EU is under drought warning, with conditions worsening in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain.
Copernicus said that a shortage of rain and a sequence of heatwaves since May has led to the dry conditions and lower river levels. That in turn has hit the energy sector, depriving hydroelectric and other power plants of their prime source of energy and cooling liquid.
Water shortages and heat stress are also reducing European crop yields, with maize, soybeans, and sunflowers hardest hit. Recent rainfall in August has helped some regions, but crops in other areas have been battered by thunderstorms.
Supplies in Spain's Andalusia and Extremadura regions are less than a third of normal, the report said. Earlier this month, it was announced that beach showers were being limited in some parts of the country.
57 beach showers around Malaga were replaced by foot washes for beachgoers. Mayor of Velez-Malaga, Antonio Moreno Ferrer said: "It’s not an easy decision to take at the height of summer with our beaches full of locals and visitors and we’re sorry for the inconvenience this can cause.
"But we’re facing a critical situation and any measure that can help to lessen the effects of the drought has to be adopted, starting with local councils setting an example.
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