The effects of global warming are being felt right here in Calasparra where the Met Office reports that May was the driest for 34 years and that average temperatures in the region have risen by one degree.
During May just 21 litres of rain fell per square metre, some 6% less than the monthly average of 341 litres per square metre. This makes May 2017 the second driest since 1941.
The maximum and the minimum temperatures were above average with an average of 19.4 centigrade, some 1.3 degrees C above normal.
