MADRID, March 13, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Spain, which is nearing the end of a years-long drought, can expect such dry spells to become increasingly "frequent and severe" due to global warming, according to a scientific report published Thursday.

The Mediterranean country has long faced "semi-permanent water stress" due to its geographic location, said the report by climate and oceanography experts from the global Clivar network that studies climate change.

While rainfall in recent years has been around average, "higher temperatures have led to greater atmospheric evaporation, causing longer and more intense droughts," said the report, which reflects scientific consensus on the topic.

Spain, which at the beginning of this century experienced "the highest frequency of severe droughts in the last 150 years", can therefore expect "more frequent and severe drought conditions", it said.

This in turn will increase the risk of wildfires, which will be "more extreme" and occur over a longer period from June to September when temperatures are warmer.

They will also hurt two key sectors of Spain's economy, agriculture and tourism.

"Optimal conditions for summer tourism will deteriorate" but will improve "during the intermediate seasons", the report said.

Spain's national weather agency AEMET said Tuesday that a drought that has parched fields and prompted water restrictions in the country since 2021 could be over soon thanks to recent abundant rainfall.

The drought has caused a drop in the harvests of cereals, olive oil and wine, and prompted authorities to draw up plans to have fresh water shipped in by boat to Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city.