Spain Expecting Earliest Recorded Heatwave With 42 Degree Temperatures
Spain News
Published: 08 June 2022 18:30 CET
Spain is bracing itself for the first heatwave of the year, as temperatures in southern Spain are expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius in the coming days.
Very high temperatures are expected to arrive this Friday, with large areas of the peninsula and the Balearic islands seeing the mercury hit 35-38 degrees.
Guadalquivir, Guadiana, Tagus and Ebro valleys are to experience even higher temperatures that could reach 40-42 degrees.
Rubén Del Campo, a spokesman for the Meteorology Agency (Aemet), explained that we are "at the gates of a very intense heat episode" and that, if confirmed as a heat wave, it would be "one of the earliest since there are records". The last one recorded was on June 11, 1981.
In the event that the heat wave begins on Friday, June 10, "it would be the earliest heat wave since there are official records," says meteorologist Francisco Martín. "And if it starts on Saturday, June 11, it would tie the most advanced, that of 1981," he recalled.
Del Campo also specified that at the end of this week the arrival of very warm air from the north of the African continent could be added, which would bring together "all the usual ingredients for a heat wave to occur in our country", this will be with the exception of the Canary Islands, which this time remain on the sidelines.
Martin agrees that Spain is on the verge of a heatwave but warns that AEMET has not yet issued an alert, only yellow warnings from Friday.
Speaking to 20minutos, Martin explained that in order to speak scientifically of a heatwave, a series of phenomena must come together.
He said "For a heat wave to occur, an episode of high temperatures is not enough. There must be a stable situation, with clear skies or very light clouds, so that the sun's radiation heats the land and the air more. At the same time, the phenomenon of subsidence must occur, that the air when it descends warms up. To which should be added that it occurs in the warm months (June, July and August)". Before adding that the wave worsens "if the torrid air is of African origin".
He believes that this episode indicates that "the world is warming up due to the effects of greenhouse gases, since the days of summer steal the limelight from spring, with an increasingly warm world."
He also recalled that in Spain there are usually "one to three heat waves a year" and that the "meteorological summer begins on June 1, unlike the astrological one, which starts on June 20.”
Del Campo emphasised that tropical nights are expected and that the “night heat” will become more widespread in the Mediterranean, in the south and in the centre of the peninsula.
On the hottest days, “torrid nights” are expected in Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir, as well as large cities like Madrid where temperatures will remain above 22 degrees at night. This is due to the so-called urban heat island, a phenomenon in which nighttime temperatures are higher inside a big city than in its rural surroundings.
The weekend that follows will continue to be very hot with more than 35 degrees in most of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, except in the extreme north. Cities such as Badajoz, Córdoba and Seville will see temperatures of around 42 degrees, whilst Cáceres, Jaén, Toledo, and Zaragoza can expect temperatures to hover around the 40 degrees mark.
As of Monday, "uncertainty" about the temperature trend grows, but currently, the most likely scenario points to "a new rise in thermometers". This means that the heat will be very intense in most of the country, with temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees above normal in the middle of the day through much of inland Spain.
Experts advise that to keep cool and remain safe in the extreme heat, you should seek shelter from the sun in the middle of the day, use fans to help circulate cool air and drink plenty of water to help stay hydrated.
Intense heat can be very dangerous for children, the elderly and pets, so make sure you minimise their exposure to the sun and help them stay cool and hydrated.
Sources
https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5012383/0/alertan-de-una-posible-ola-de-calor-de-record-la-mas-tempranera-de-la-historia-con-maximas-de-42-grados-y-noches-tropicales/
