Mouth of the Jucar River in the Mediterranean. Credit: Wikipedia
Marina Alta officially out of ‘Red Alert’ drought thanks to one of the wettest months since 1950
You didn’t need to be a weather expert to notice the rains of the past few months had brought some relief to the parched aquifers of Marina Alta. On a more official level, a few local councils had already hinted that water reserves should now be enough to last the rest of the year. (What no one really talks about, though, is whether long-term solutions will ever be put in place for the next dry spell — a crucial debate.)
But only now has the Júcar River Basin Authority (CHJ) officially confirmed that the region is no longer at red alert for water supply shortages. These things take time — the CHJ looks at long-term trends rather than reacting straight away to a wet week or two.
Still, they’re being cautious. Marina Alta, according to the latest official map, remains on orange alert — meaning water scarcity is still an issue, just not as severe. Much of Alicante province that falls within the same basin is also still at this level, with the neighbouring Marina Baixa even staying at red alert.
A Remarkable March
What helped turn things around was the extraordinary rainfall across the Júcar basin this March. According to Spain’s national weather agency (AEMET), the average was 174.9 litres per square metre — well above the historical average for 1991–2022. In fact, this made it the second wettest March since 1950 — only topped by that of 2022.
Certain areas were especially drenched. Stats from Avamet show that in Benialí (in the Vall de Gallinera) 590.4 mm fell, while Vall d’Ebo saw 591 mm — just in March. To put that into perspective, Benialí recorded more rain in those 30 days than during the whole of drought-stricken 2024 (which saw 558 mm total).
These extremes aren’t new, but the contrast between wet and dry spells is growing sharper — a sign of climate change, as pointed out recently by Jorge Olcina, head of Alicante’s Climatology Lab, during a talk in Dénia.
And it wasn’t just those two spots. In March 2025, several other places topped 300 mm of rain: Benigembla, Parcent, Pego, Sagra, Vall d’Alcalà, and Vall de Laguar all made the list. Meanwhile, coastal and inland towns like Dénia, Calp, Xàbia, Gata, Ondara, Pedreguer, Teulada, Benissa and El Verger fell below the basin-wide average of 179 mm.
