Map | Which municipalities are on heat alert? Check if there is a health risk in your area

This [[dia]] there is [[alto_riesgo_muni]] municipalities in areas with high risk due to heat ([[perc_riesgo_alto_muni]]%), [[riesgo_medio_muni]] at medium risk ([[perc_riesgo_medio_muni]]%) and [[bajo_riesgo_muni]] at low risk ([[perc_bajo_riesgo_muni]]%). See the map for areas where heat will reach dangerous levels for health, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Aemet.

Episodes of high temperatures are part of the most obvious face of the climate crisis caused by humans, mainly through the burning of fossil fuels.

Although they are common events in the summer, when comparing the historical data of these heat waves in Spain the conclusion is clear: this is not the same old heat. Because the waves are becoming longer lasting – they are increasing at a rate of three days per decade –, more extensive – on average, they affect three more provinces every 10 years – and more intense – 0.27 degrees Celsius more every decade. Aemet is responsible for compiling this data.

Health risks

Heat has a direct impact on the health of the population. In fact, it increases mortality. A team from the Carlos III Health Institute has calculated the maximum temperatures from which deaths increase in a statistically significant way for the so-called meteo-health zones (territorial areas formed by several municipalities that are homogeneous in terms of the behaviour of daily temperatures).

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Within each province there are several meteohealth areas. In total, the trigger temperatures have been calculated for 182 of these areas. The system establishes three levels of danger: level 1 (low risk), level 2 (medium risk) and level 3 (high risk). To calculate it, the temperatures forecast for the next 72 hours and how close they will be to the trigger limits for heat-related mortality are taken into account.

For example, this [[dia]]there is [[alto_riesgo_zonas]] meteosalud zones at level 3 and [[riesgo_medio_zonas]] at level 2 in Spain.

Dividing the country into meteohealth regions is not a free-for-all. Within the same province there can be differences of more than 11 degrees Celsius in the maximum temperature from which the number of deaths increases. This is the case of Lugo: the limit established for the A Mariña area, on the north coast, is 25.5 degrees; while that of the south of the province is set at 37.1 degrees.

This work has served to establish the new map of health risk levels by meteosalud zones, which is updated every morning by the Ministry of Health and which is sent to the autonomous communities so that they can take preventive measures, mainly among the population at risk.

Having a health alert system for high temperatures is key to preventing the population. Spain activated a national plan of this type for the first time in the summer of 2004. It did so after the deadly summer of the previous year. Twenty years later, the warnings have been updated and refined: until this season they were provincial.

The temperature in the next few days

In the table you can check the Aemet forecast for your municipality and whether the risk threshold for the meteosalud area in which it is located is expected to be exceeded.

Tips

But what should you do (and not do) when you experience high temperatures? Here are some tips from the Ministry of Health:

1. Drink water and fluids frequently, even if you don’t feel thirsty and regardless of the physical activity you do.

2. Avoid caffeinated, alcoholic or sugary drinks, as these can cause dehydration.

3. Eat light meals that help replenish salts lost through sweating (salads, fruits, vegetables, juices…).

4. Stay in cool, shaded or air-conditioned places as much as possible, and cool down whenever necessary.

5. Try to reduce physical activity and avoid outdoor sports during the central hours of the day.

6. Wear light, loose, breathable clothing.

7. Never leave a person in a parked and closed vehicle (especially minors, the elderly, or those with chronic illnesses).

8. Consult your healthcare professional if you have symptoms that last more than an hour and may be related to high temperatures.

9. Keep your medicines in a cool place as heat can alter their composition and effects.

10. Pay special attention to infants, children, pregnant women, and the elderly or people with illnesses that may be aggravated by heat (such as heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, pathologies that impair mobility, dementia and other mental illnesses, as well as drug or alcohol abuse).