Tourists seek relief near a fountain in the Plaza de España. Seville. Photo: Reuters
Less than a month after the last heat wave, thermometers in the Iberian Peninsula returned to exceptional levels on Monday, with temperatures above 40 ºC, and in the south of France.
The increase in heat waves is a direct consequence of global warming, according to scientists, due to greenhouse gas emissions increase intensity, duration and frequency of these events.
In Spain, the maximum temperature recorded at 17:22 was 42.5 ºC in Seville (Andalusia, south), but the thermometer exceeded 42 ºC in southern and southwestern cities such as Jaén, Badajoz, Mérida and Córdoba, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
This new heat wave, the second in a month, “has the appearance of being exceptional”even in a country accustomed to high summer temperatures, Aemet spokesman Rubén del Campo warned on Monday.
It started on Sunday and it could last “more than 9 or 10 days and that would make it one of the three longest heatwaves we’ve had in Spain since 1975, “he said.
“Climate change makes heatwaves more frequent and more intense,” explained Del Campo, noting that the number of these episodes in the country has doubled in the past 12 years.
The worst, between Tuesday and Thursday
Tourists cool off in Seville. Photo: Reuters
The worst is expected between Tuesday and Thursday, according to Aemet, which however indicated that it was unable to say whether the absolute temperature record recorded in Spain (47.4 ºC in Montoronear Córdoba, in August 2021), could be outdated.
Including the current heatwave, Spain has experienced five episodes of exceptionally high temperatures in the past eleven months.
Last May was the hottest since the turn of the century in the country.
A person protects himself from the sun with an umbrella. Photo: Reuters
Additionally, Spain has suffered from a pronounced lack of rainfall since winter, which resulted in reservoirs reaching 45.3% of their total capacity this Monday, well below average (65.7%) in this. time of year in the last decade. , according to authorities.
In neighboring Portugal, the thermometer rose to 44 ºC in some areas during the weekend, while temperatures dropped slightly on Monday, before rising again on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the Évora region (south-east), 42ºC was expected, according to the Portuguese Meteorological Agency.
this heat wave fueled the fires especially in the center of the country. The largest of them, in the city of Ourém (center), was contained on Monday after burning 2,000 hectares of vegetation.
But the situation remains “serious and exceptional”, said the commander of the national civil protection, André Fernandes, while the prime minister, Antonio Costa, warned of a “maximum risk” in the coming days.
Also in France
People jump into the sea on a hot afternoon in Nice. Photo: Valery Hache / AFP
The heat wave reached southwestern France on Monday, Météo-France said. The temperatures will exceed 30 ° C in much of the country, but it could arrive Tuesday in some areas at 39 ° C.
This meteorological episode is likely to reach its peak “between Saturday and next Tuesday”, said Sébastien Léas, of Météo-France, who said that it is still early to say whether it can be compared to the heat wave of the summer of 2003. , which left thousands of dead.
In the UK, where temperatures will reach 33ºC on Monday and Tuesday in the south west of the country, the National Weather Service was released on Monday an orange notice to warn of a wave of “extreme heat” from Sunday, with thermometers above 35ºC.
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Source: Clarin
