October 2024, the wettest month in Spanish history

Records related to temperatures, rainfall, winds, fall one after another. October 2024 was the wettest ever recorded in Spain, announced the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET), which mentions a record of rainfall recorded in one hour during deadly weather in the Valencia region, informs AFP. "The month of October was extremely rainy" in the country, with an "average value in peninsular Spain of 147 liters of rainfall per square meter", the equivalent of 14.7 centimeters, AEMET said in a statement. This represents "almost double" the normal value, according to the Spanish meteorological agency, which says that the mentioned value represents a record since the beginning of the records, in 1961, surpassing the years 1979 and 2003, the wettest to date. October was also unusually warm, with an average temperature of 15.5 degrees Celsius in mainland Spain, "equivalent to 0.9 degrees Celsius above average" for this time of year, AEMET said. The amount of rainfall was particularly high during the storms that hit the southeast of the country, especially the Valencia region, between October 29 and 30, according to AEMET. In Turís, a municipality with 7,000 inhabitants in the Valencia region, 771 liters of rain per square meter were recorded (including 185 liters in a single hour). This is "a record for Spain for such a duration", the Spanish agency said. These intense rainfalls triggered historic floods in the region, which left 219 dead and dozens missing, according to Spanish authorities.