Spain Braces For First Summer Heatwave With 45c Temperatures Expected In Some Regions

Spain is bracing itself for its first summer heatwave after the country’s national weather agency AEMET warned that temperatures could reach 45c or more this week.

According to AEMET’s Special Notice of Adverse Phenomena, the hot blast will engulf much of the country with the exception of the northern region of Cantabria and much of Galicia.

From Wednesday, August 11, up to 10 regions are expected to see temperatures soar into the 40s with minimum nighttime temperatures of around 25c.

The areas that will see the highest temperatures are Córdoba, Granada and Jaén in Andalusia; Huesca and Zaragoza in Aragón; Mallorca in the Balearic Islands; Toledo, Albacete and Cuenca in Castilla-La Mancha; Lleida in Catalonia; and in Madrid, Alcalá de Henares, the region’s metropolitan area, as well as the south, west and Vegas area.

The hottest days are likely to be between Friday and Sunday with temperatures reaching 40c in the south, east and central peninsula and the Balearic Islands.

The temperatures are expected to drop on Sunday with temperatures expected to cool by Monday.

Meteorological expert Samuel Biener told 20 Minutos, that the highest temperatures will be recorded in the Guadalquivir Valley, as well as the La Hoya de Granada where temperatures will reach 41c. The valleys of Guadiana, Tajo and Ebro will be close to 40c. Biener also warned that other regions including Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid will also see temperatures of between 40 and 45c.

He said, "Today it seems that 46 and even 47 degrees can be reached in areas of the province of Seville and Cordoba."

Although the country has experienced a number of recent high-temperature episodes, they have not been considered heat waves as they did not meet the requirements to be categorised as such.

For AEMET to classify the conditions as a heatwave three conditions need to be met. The high temperatures have to be ‘intense’, they have to affect most of the country and they must be long-lasting.

The upcoming heatwave is due to a mass of hot air approaching from North Africa and the central Mediterranean which will result in intense heat and very little wind to clear the warm air.

It comes as the international group of experts on climate change (IPCC) warns that with global warming of 1.5c, the planet will see an increase in heat waves with the warm seasons lasting longer and the cold seasons getting shorter. 

Source

https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4789047/0/llega-la-primera-ola-de-calor-del-ano-que-amenaza-con-mas-de-45-grados-y-con-temperaturas-nocturnas-de-mas-de-25/
https://english.elpais.com/news/2021-08-10/spain-braces-for-heatwave-with-10-provinces-on-alert-for-high-temperatures.html
https://www.thelocal.es/20210810/spain-set-to-stifle-in-first-official-heatwave-of-the-summer/