Storm Irene brings much-needed rain to Malaga, but how much has the province received so far?

January is not going too badly in terms of rainfall, especially if we compare it to previous months, although rainfall continues to elude the reservoirs, which for the moment are only showing minimal improvements.

Yesterday (Wednesday 17 January), up to 30mm of rain was recorded in the Serranía de Ronda (Pujerra and the Genal river); around 20mm in Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja and Cuevas del Becerro; 15mm in El Torcal, Ojén and in La Concepción reservoir, which supplies the Costa del Sol.

So far in the first month of the year, the accumulated rainfall has not been bad either, although it has not been impressive. In fact, it is in line with state weather agency (Aemet) forecasts, which predicted that this would be a January with "normal" rainfall (which means that about 69mm should accumulate in the official rain gauge at Malaga Airport).

In Alfarnatejo (upper Axarquia) some 53.6mm l/m2 have already been collected this month; in Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja (Estepona), 53mm; in Pujerra, 51.5mm; in the Genal, 45mm; although below 20mm in Malaga city.

However, the reservoirs have continued to lose reserves this month, although, at least, the decline has slowed down. La Concepción practically equals the level of the previous week; and the same is true of the Guadalhorce and La Viñuela reservoirs; while El Conde is the only one to rise, albeit by just 0.02 cubic hectometres. In total, the reservoirs contained 98.3 Hm2 yesterday, i.e. 1.3 less than the previous week.

With this scenario, all hopes are pinned on what happens tomorrow, Friday, when Aemet expects there will be new rainfall, which could even favour Axarquia more, although the accumulated rainfall expected according to the models will be similar to yesterday's: between 20 and 30mm in the best cases, in the Serrania de Ronda, Los Reales and, for the first time, also at high altitudes in the Axarquía region.

Otherwise, the main feature of Thursday day was the boom of thunder at 7.20am in the morning, which surprised many people in many parts of Malaga (the roar was heard in almost the entire city, at least from the central area and El Limonar to the west); and also in municipalities such as Torremolinos, Alhaurín de la Torre, Nerja and Periana, among others.

Eye witnesses located the lightning strike in the area around the provincial police station (Plaza Manuel Azaña), San Rafael road or in the surrounding area. And the flash of lightning was immediately followed by the thunder, which set off the alarms of many cars parked in the streets and made the windows vibrate, although there were no reports of material or personal damage.

Meanwhile, in Calle San Francisco de Asís in Ronda, the provincial fire brigade had to cut down a tree that was in danger of falling after being struck by another powerful bolt of lightning.