On May 31, around 48% of the territory was in a weak (36.3%) to moderate (11.9%) meteorological drought, while at the end of April, only 8% of the territory was in a weak drought.

According to the Bulletin, there was an increase in the area under drought in the South region, as well as its intensity, with a large part of the Beja district and the eastern Algarve facing moderate drought.

At the end of May, 36.3% of the territory was in the weak drought class, 35.4% in the normal class, 11.9% in moderate drought, 11.9% in light rain, 3.0% in moderate rain, and 1.5% in severe rain.

The institute classifies the meteorological drought index into nine classes, which vary between “extreme rain” and “extreme drought”.

According to IPMA, there are four types of drought: meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, and socioeconomic.

Data from the IPMA Climatological Bulletin also indicate that last month was classified as normal in terms of air temperature and dry in terms of precipitation.

Heat waves

During the month there were two heat waves, the first being recorded in the period from the 7th to the 12th, lasting six days and covering some places in the central and southern interior, and the second at the end of May, lasting until to the first days of June in some places in the North, central interior, Tagus valley and southern interior.

According to the data, the total monthly precipitation (33.5 mm) was lower (28.9 mm) than the average value from 1981 to 2010.

With regard to the percentage of water in the soil, the institute states that there has been a very significant decrease in the percentage throughout the territory.

The regions of the northeast of Trás-os-Montes and the Tagus valley recorded values ​​of percentage of water in the soil between 20 and 40% and the southern region, in particular Baixo Alentejo, with values ​​below 20%.