Spain's Met Office activates yellow alert weather warning for heavy rain in Malaga's drought-hit Axarquía region

It is the most longed for news in the driest region of Malaga province, and tomorrow, Friday 19 January, a yellow risk weather alert for heavy rain has been activated by Spain's Met Office for the drought-hit Axarquía region. Aemet has also issued an alert for the Ronda area, tomorrow, for thunderstorms, from 6am until 3pm. The state agency has also activated a yellow alert on the Costa del Sol, the Axarquía, and the Guadalhorce valley areas for force seven winds and three-metre high waves in coastal areas.

The storm is expected to hit from dawn and will last the entire day. Rain is expected from 9am until 6pm, with it falling in Malaga city and many other parts of the province. In the Axarquía, downpours, with a probability of between 40% and 70%, could reach 15mm per hour. If it materialises, it would be a welcome relief for La Viñuela reservoir, which is at its lowest ever level, and practically 'dead' (at 7.4% capacity, with only 12 .2 cubic hectometres.)

At a general level, Aemet forecasts very cloudy skies for Friday, with weak to moderate rainfall in Malaga, which is expected to be more intense in inland areas. Very strong gusts of wind are also forecast for eastern inland areas from dawn.

As for temperatures, the state agency points to a slight drop of a couple of degrees, both in maximum and minimum temperatures. In Malaga city, the mercury will reach 16C (compared to the 18-20C of the last few days), while nighttime temperatures will be between 10 and 11 degrees.

Looking ahead to Saturday, the possibility of rain in the province increases again to 70% starting at 12 noon. On Sunday, on the other hand, a stable day is expected with cloudy skies and little chance of rain on the horizon (the probability is 15%). It will be the precursor of a new week marked by the entry of another powerful anticyclone weather system to Spain.