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Spain experiences heat peaks above 40 degrees. An episode described by experts as “rare”, as it occurs at the end of spring, and they point to global warming as the main cause of the phenomenon.
The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) reported the start of the new heat wave and indicated that it will bring with it maximum temperatures of between 34 and 36 ºC in the peninsula and Mallorca, although the center and south of the country could reach up to 40 and 43ºC.
“This extreme heat, and at this time of spring, is not normal” and is due to “global warming,” said Rubén del Campo, spokesman for the national weather agency.
In a special notice, the entity indicated that this episode will affect the entire peninsula except Galicia, the Cantabrian area and the Pyrenees, and could last until next Wednesday.
The entry of a mass of warm air from North Africa and a strong insolation is what is causing a significant rise in minimum and maximum temperatures in a large part of the territory.
During these days the formation of storms in the center-north of the country is also likely, while in the afternoon there could be strong gusts of wind.
Passers-by with umbrellas and toilets for the animals
Some citizens already afflict the situation.
“It’s too hot so we’re drinking water all the time. We don’t know how we’re going to deal with this because I think it’s going to get hotter. Next month for sure we’ll start at 8am and stop at 3pm “, shared a worker during his working day.
Likewise, trades such as the coachmen who take tourists to historical places in different Spanish cities, have decided to refresh their horses with water baths.
Some people have chosen to use umbrellas to hide from the scorching sun, while others hide in the shade of trees and carry cold drinks with them.
The earliest heat wave in Spain in the last 40 years
This episode occurs a few days after the hottest May for at least 100 years in Spain.
Now, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in different parts of the center and south of the country, the current heat wave is the earliest since the one recorded in 1981, according to AEMET.
And although Spain has always had hot summers, these “are getting longer and a current summer lasts more than a month… more than in the 1980s,” explained the spokesman for the meteorological agency.
A year with unusual temperatures
In the last ten months, Spain has experienced four episodes of high temperatures: the heat wave of August 2021, when the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in the country was broken (47.4 degrees recorded in the south). Then the temperatures described as “unusually high”, during Christmas and New Year. An increase was also recorded in May and finally, the rise in current temperatures.
Last year also saw other extreme events in the country, such as the Filomena snowstorm, which paralyzed much of the nation in January, with temperatures as low as -21ºC.
According to scientists, the multiplication of heat waves, especially in Europe, is a consequence of global warming.
Greenhouse gas emissions increase in potency, duration, and frequency.
With AFP, EFE and Reuters
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