Almost all of Portugal in severe drought after hot, dry May

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s weather service says that almost the whole of Portugal was in severe drought at the end of May. The weather service said in its monthly climate report Thursday that the month of May was the hottest in the southern European country for the last 92 years. It said the average temperature of just over 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) was more than 3 degrees Celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than usual. At the same time, average May rainfall of just under 9 millimeters (0.35 inches) was just 13% of what would normally be expected. Climate scientists say Portugal can expect more droughts as a consequence of global warming.