After many months of drought and the heat that made this spring feel like summer, today snow fell in areas of northern Spain.

The unusual snowfall for the season occurred in La Raya, a mountainous region in the province of Asturias. Hail and heavy rain hit the Mediterranean regions of Spain, such as Catalonia and Valencia, where not a drop had fallen for months.

Since the beginning of the year Spain has experienced the driest winter on record. According to the meteorological service AEMET, during the first four months of 2023 the amount of rain that fell was less than half of what is usually recorded.

So far Spain has experienced 11 days with temperatures higher than usual for the season, and this number is already more than double the number of days with unusually high temperatures recorded on a yearly basis.