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WEATHER

Spain braces for first heatwave of the summer with 43C forecast

The first 'ola de calor' of the summer is set to bring scorching temperatures to much of Spain this weekend that may last into next week.

Published: 22 June 2023 16:12 CEST
Spain braces for first heatwave of the summer with 43C forecast
A group of people on a horse-drawn carriage protect themselves from the sun with an umbrella in Seville. Photo: CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP.

Spain is expecting its first heatwave of the summer as the arrival of a mass of hot air from Africa could send temperatures above 40C over the weekend.

The scorching temperatures, which are more usual in late-July or early-August, are arriving earlier than usual in the year and will be exacerbated by a lack of wind in certain parts of the peninsula. High levels of humidity will cause so-called ‘tropical nights’ in many parts of the country where the mercury will not fall below 20C overnight.

READ ALSO: Where are the hottest places in Spain?

In some southern cities, such as Seville and Cádiz, overnight temperatures could be a sweltering 25C.

Temperatures on Thursday will top 30C across many parts of the country, but the highest will be in the southeast of the country, particularly in the Guadalquivir valley area and inland Murcia where temperatures will hit 35C.

On Friday, the mercury will continue to rise and the highs could be close to reaching 40C across the south, and over the weekend temperature could yet climb higher. There will be temperatures around 30C in the north, and 35C in inland Spain.

AEMET forecast graphics, seen below, show how the heatwave will be particularly clustered in the southwest of the country.

On Saturday and Sunday, the most intense heat is expected in the southwest of the peninsula, especially in the Guadalquivir valley. On Saturday, Córdoba and Seville could reach 41C and on Sunday 42C and 43C respectively.

Other cities in the southwest, such as Badajoz, also seem set to exceed 40C over the weekend, and similarly scorching temperatures are forecast across many areas of Andalusia, in the west of Castilla-La Mancha, as well as in the Madrid region.

Temperatures will surpass 35C in much of inland Spain, and be above 30C in the northern half of the country with 30C expected in Bilbao on Saturday.

The heat will be more bearable in the Canary Islands, where maximums temperatures are not expected to reach 30C. The Balearics are forecast to see temperatures in the low-30s throughout the weekend.

Forecasts from Spain’s state meteorological agency AEMET predict that the heatwave is here to stay and will last until at least the first days of next week, possibly longer. On Monday, the 26th, temperatures of 43C could be seen again in the southwest of the country.

By Tuesday and Wednesday, AEMET forecasts that temperatures will have dropped to a more comfortable 22 or 23C in northern Spain, but the high temperatures will remain in southern Spain. On Wednesday, Cordoba is set for highs of 44C, and temperatures will hover in the high-30s and low-40s across Andalusia.

The heatwave follows weeks of turbulent weather in Spain, with flash flooding and wildfires across differing parts of the country, as well as record temperatures in April.

Officially speaking, for scorching weather to be classified as a heatwave, the period of extreme heat must last at least three days and temperatures must exceed seasonal thresholds by 10 percent.

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WEATHER

Northern Spain braces for abnormally high spring tides

Spain’s northern regions, particularly Galicia and the Basque Country, are due to experience some of the highest spring tides in the past 19 years, causing gigantic waves, flooding and possible destruction to coastal structures.

Published: 19 September 2024 09:06 CEST
Northern Spain braces for abnormally high spring tides

Despite the name, spring tides occur throughout the year when the Moon is either new or full and when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned and there is the greatest difference between high and low tide.

In Spanish they’re known as mareas vivas and occur here more frequently in September and March.

But on this occasion other factors have been added into the mix that will make these tides exceptionally high, even up to half a metre more than in previous years. And the same will happen with low tide, which will be abnormally low.

These factors include if the moon is closer than usual to the Earth or if it is above the Earth’s equator.

The climax of these conditions will be reached this Wednesday September 18th, coinciding with the full Moon, but the main impact of this won’t be felt until Thursday.

The phenomena is expected last at least until Friday and will rise the tides on practically the entire northern coast, with waves in some areas reaching a height of five metres.

The Marine and Food Research Center of the Basque Country (AZTI) has reported that this week, between this Tuesday and Friday, “exceptionally high” spring tides will be recorded in the Bay of Biscay, which will coincide, depending on the days, between 5 and 8pm.

The Basque towns of Zarautz, Pasaia and Irun have been put on yellow alert and could even experience waves close to five metres.

In Galicia, in the next couple of days, they could even experience the highest spring tides in the past 19 years.

The maximum predicted record will be reached in the Foz estuary in Galicia on Thursday September 19th around 6pm, when the high tide will reach a height of 4.6 metres.

In Ferrol and A Coruña, other strategic points on the Galician coast, it will be 4.4 metres, while in the estuaries of the Costa da Morte it will reach 4.3 metres, and in those of Vigo and Pontevedra waves will be an estimated at 4.2 metres.

Regions along the Cantabrian Sea such as Cantabria and Asturias will also be affected with bigger waves and higher tides than normal. While reports haven’t indicated predictions as high as the waves in Galicia and the Basque Country, people there still need to be on the lookout for high tides in the late afternoon and evening of Thursday.

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