Abstract
The objective of the authors is examines drought trends in Sicily over the past century. The analysis focuses on the nine provinces that comprise the region, The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is used to identify pluviometric deficit at different time scales, including 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Additionally, the Mann-Kendall test is applied to check if the SPI has a significant trend, especially if it is decreasing; as the SPI decreases, the pluviometric deficit increases.The statistical approach of the study confirms that in Sicily, meteorological and hydrological droughts are becoming more frequent. In addition, a rising trend of socio-economic droughts has been identified. It is therefore necessary to target mitigation and adaptation measures on the areas most vulnerable to drought in order to safeguard the agricultural sector and, consequently, a significant part of the region's productive activities. The methods used in this work could be applied to the management of water resources and the protection of the island's agricultural and economic sectors.