Latest rains bolster water stored in Malaga province reservoirs and this is the current state of them

Every cloud has a silver lining and even though last week's 1 May bank holiday was cooler than tourists would have wanted it to be, the rainfall that fell from Wednesday to Friday last week brought a new increase in water levels in Malaga province's reservoirs. Farmers also benefited from the downpours, as irrigation and livestock received extra supplies.

According to the director of Malaga's Aemet weather centre, Jesús Riesco, the isolated cold storm (abbreviated as BFA in Spanish) that was active in the province last week left significant discharges in the first couple of days of May. Up to 60mm of rain was collected in El Juanar, as estimated by various official and unofficial rain gauge networks. Important gains were also recorded in: Casares (38mm); Manilva (31); Estepona (29); Jubrique (26); Pilones (25); Benahavís (24); Guadalmina and Pujerra (23) Los Reales (20) and El Burgo (19). Between 10 and 20mm were recorded in many other areas.

Meanwhile, the Hidrosur network of the Junta de Andalucía announced that, between 30 April and 2 May, almost 50mm fell in several places. This was the case in Casarabonela (47), Ardales (43) and Pujerra (42). In the Guadalmina dam (45) and the Guadalmansa dam (43), which flow into the La Concepción reservoir - the main source of supply for the western Costa del Sol.

In Aemet's April figures for rain, Cortes de la Frontera (74mm) and Gaucín (60) stand out. "These two weather stations have already recorded more than 700mm so far this year." As a reference, 30mm have been recorded at the airport and 38 at the meteorological centre in El Cónsul. Meanwhile, the records of the Junta de Andalucía's's Hidrosur network include more than 70mm in Alfarnatejo; 67 in Cortes de la Frontera; 59 on the Guadiaro river; 55 in Villanueva de la Concepción and 52 at the Guadalmansa diversion dam.

The accumulations have once again been reflected in reservoir levels. The overall level of resources on Friday 2 May was 61.5%, more than 376 million cubic metres. Therefore, reservoirs as a whole have gained 2 million cubic metres compared to the previous week.

By area, La Concepción near Marbella is practically full - something that will be officially confirmed once the runoffs are added to the calculations. On Friday, water reserves there stood at 98.5%, with 57.5 million cubic metres, which is more than enough water for the upcoming summer and until the beginning of next year.

There is also good news from the inland areas of the province. The reservoirs of the Guadalhorce system have continued to rise, albeit slightly, despite the fact that the heat is beginning to set in and consumption is increasing. The Guadalteba - the largest - is almost at 52.7%, with around 81 million cubic metres. The Guadalhorce exceeds 47.6%, with almost 60 million cubic metres. However, it is the Conde that stands out the most, virtually full (96.9%), with 64.4 million cubic metres.

In addition to these, there are the Casasola and El Limonero reservoirs. Although their function is different from that of other reservoirs (they serve mainly to prevent flooding in Malaga), their water is still used. Between the two, they add another 30 million cubic metres, which mainly serve the city of Malaga.

Lastly, there is La Viñuela, which supplies the eastern part of the province and the Axarquia. Although it hardly rained in that area last week, the run-off around the Guaro river would still allow it to exceed half its capacity for the first time (50.2%, to be exact). So Malaga's largest reservoir has plenty of water to supply domestic consumption for years to come and the Junta de Andalucía has also allowed irrigation supplies to be increased.

According to the state meteorological agency, it is expected that the first half of May will be colder in general, with temperatures below normal for this time of year and, consequently, more rainfall than usual. Showers are expected in different parts of the province throughout this week.