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Violent hailstorms slammed down on Extremadura on 24 May. This article describes and summarizes the weather conditions of the weeks that preceded this episode, until May 23rd.
In April, the western half of southern Europe was hit by heavy rains that led to serious delays in planting operations in Portugal, Spain and, to a lesser extent, in northern Italy. The installation of tomato crops was less disrupted in south-central Italy, where accumulated rainfall has actually been lower than normal, and in some cases well below seasonal averages, like in Apulia and its surrounding regions.
This rainfall gradient has been compounded by a thermal gradient, with the most western regions (Portugal, Andalusia and Extremadura) simply enjoying seasonal temperatures within the normal range, while average temperatures increased progressively towards the West, from southern France to southern Italy and as far as the Peloponnese and the Turkish coastline. Ukraine has benefited from good weather conditions, with temperatures that have been 3 to 5°C above usual levels for April and May, but with a notable lack of rainfall.
At the beginning of May, temperatures dropped sharply between the Southwest of France and the central-northern region of the Italian peninsula. They remained within the normal seasonal range in Spain and in southern Italy. They increased slightly in Portugal and remained slightly above average in the South of Greece and in Turkey.
Weather conditions have been very contrasted in May throughout the Mediterranean region, with temperatures that have been well above normal in Turkey and in Syria, but barely reaching seasonal averages in Iran. A major rainfall gradient has been recorded in growing regions from the North to the South of Iran, with rainfall measurements that can be considered lower than usual in the regions bordering Armenia, but that have increased progressively – to the point of being well above normal – towards the Persian Gulf.
Over the first half of May, rainfall has been low (between 10 and 25 mm) throughout Iran's regions of production, and temperatures have been 1 to 3°C below usual averages.
In China, the Urumqi region recorded accumulated rainfall that was well above seasonal levels in April, with temperatures slightly above (1 to 3°C) usual averages. Despite some snowfall, which had no impact on the crop, the month of May was mostly dry, with temperatures recorded in the usual seasonal range.
In April, weather conditions in California were sharply differentiated between the northern and southern areas of the State, with rainfall well below normal and temperatures slightly above seasonal averages in the South, while the North of the State recorded accumulated rainfall that in places reached three times its usual levels, with temperatures within the normal seasonal range.
Some complementary data: Situation in the main production regions, as of 23 May at 17h (local time)
Situation in Urumqi, China, Wednesday 23 May at 17h (local time)
Situation in Badajoz and Parma, Europe, Wednesday 23 May at 17h (local time)
Situation in Sacramento, California, Wednesday 23 May at 17h (local time)
Source: NOAA, windy.com
