Heatwaves – defined as at least three consecutive days of temperatures above the average recorded in July and August from 1971-2000 – are becoming more frequent and start earlier, according to Aemet, the Spanish meteorological service. “We are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June,” said Rubén del Campo, a spokesman for Aemet. The heatwave, the result of Hurricane Alex and a mass of very hot air over North Africa, is expected to last at least until Tuesday and is the third earliest recorded. The last time a heat wave hit so early was in 1981. It follows the warmest May recorded, with temperatures last month three degrees above average. Aemet estimates that global warming means that Spain’s summer starts between 20 and 40 days earlier than 50 years ago. There have been June 10 heat waves since 1975, five of them since 2011 and, assuming it lasts three days, for the last 12 years there will be a heat wave in June every two years. Last year was the hottest and driest in Spain on record, with temperatures reaching a record 47.4 C in Montoro in the southern province of Cordoba. Overall, across the country the average temperature was 0.5 C above the average for the period 1981-2010. And 2021 was not a one-off, but the last in a series of hot years. “For the first time we have seen eight consecutive years with temperatures above average,” said Del Campo. “There is a clear tendency for things to get hotter.” These hot years were not combined with cold. In the last 10 years, only 14 extremely cold days have been recorded, compared to 146 extremely hot. With less time to acclimatize to what would normally be mid-summer temperatures, people are at greater risk for heat stroke, dizziness and headaches. It will also be harder to sleep, with night temperatures of 25 C – officially “difficult nights”, according to Aemet – or in some areas 30 C, known as “hell nights”. A study conducted last year in cities in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy revealed a link between mortality and nighttime high temperatures. The Spanish Ministry of Health has warned people to stay indoors as much as possible and avoid exercising during the hottest hours of the day. People are also encouraged to drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol.
