In addition to the higher than usual rainfall, the IPMA also revealed that last year was warmer than usual, with an average temperature of 15.80 degrees Celsius, slightly more than half a degree above existing averages.
In contrast to these figures, was the month of December, which the IPMA said was the fifth driest since 1931 and the amount of rain was “much lower than the normal average in almost all the country”.
The IPMA was also reported by Lusa News Agency as saying that in December the average rainfall was 28.5 mm, much less than usual and the driest in the past 26 years.
The IPMA added that as well as being dry, December was also very cold.
The average air temperature, 8.58 degrees Celsius, was 1.39 degrees lower than normal.