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WEATHER

Will Spain’s third heatwave be as bad as the last one?

Spain has already faced two scorching heatwaves so far this spring and summer, but with meteorologists predicting a possible third in the coming days, could it be as bad as July's?

Published: 2 August 2022 16:24 CEST
Will Spain's third heatwave be as bad as the last one?
A street thermometer reads 48C in Seville during Spain's first heatwave of the year in June 2022. These thermometers are renowned for not always being completely accurate as they're usually dark, made of metal and in direct sunlight for hours, but it certainly showcases how hot it got in Spain before summer had officially began. Photo: CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP

As Spain moves into August, the stifling temperatures look set to stay.

Record temperatures have caused forest fires across the country, killed people by the hundreds, forced large swathes of the population to stay inside all day in order escape the heat, and ‘tropical nights’ have made sleeping incredibly uncomfortable.

READ ALSO: Are Spain’s wildfires a risk to people’s health?

But will these temperatures continue throughout August?

With unnaturally warm temperatures continuing over the last weekend in July, experts are now considering whether the duration and intensity of the latest round of scorching weather will be enough to qualify as Spain’s third official heatwave (ola de calor) of the summer and how long it will last.

READ ALSO: How much does it cost to have air-conditioning at home in Spain?

With high temperatures predicted for the first week of August, if they continue further into the month, it is likely AEMET (Spain’s state meteorological agency) will declare a third heatwave, although, spokesman Rubén del Campo says it is looking likely to be “less intense and extreme than the previous two”.

For meteorologists to officially consider scorching weather to be a heatwave, the period of extreme heat must last at least three days and temperatures must exceed seasonal thresholds by 10 percent.

“It is possible that from last Sunday July 31st until at least Wednesday August 3rd or Thursday 4th, the thresholds of intensity, persistence and extension necessary to be able to catalog this episode as a heat wave will be exceeded,” the meteorologist added.

READ ALSO: 

According to AEMET forecasts, temperatures climbed on Monday August 2nd and Tuesday 3rd but will begin to decrease from Thursday.

High temperatures could continue for most of week, however. “In large areas of the interior of the northern half,” del Campo said, “and also in points in the centre and south, temperatures will be between 5C and 10C above normal for this time of year.”

One thing that won’t change, however, regardless of whether AEMET declares the heat an official heatwave, is the sweltering night temperatures. 

August temperature forecasts across Spain, showing the areas expected to be ‘warmer than normal’ (más cálido de lo normal), ‘slightly warmer than normal’ (ligeramente más cálido de lo normal) ‘quite a bit warmer than normal’ (bastante más cálido de lo normal) and ‘much warmer than normal’ (mucho más cálido de lo normal). Map: Eltiempo.es

The phenomenon of ‘tropical nights’, when temperatures stay above 20C during the night, have now become the norm up and down the Mediterranean coast and southern half of the country.

In some cases, temperatures through the night have hovered around 25C, making it very difficult to sleep or save on electricity bills.

READ ALSO: Ceiling fan vs air con in Spain: Which offers the better price-coolness ratio?

Spain’s previous heatwaves in 2022

The first heatwave began early this year, back on June 11th, and lasted almost a full week (officially until June 18th) and was the earliest heatwave Spain had suffered in almost fifty years, affecting 38 provinces across the country.

Incredibly, in places in southern Spain like Jaén, a staggering 44.5C was recorded on June 17th – far earlier than expected and is normal.
In mid-July, however, the second heatwave was much more intense – the third longest in Spanish history and the most severe.
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Temperature surpassing 40C spread across the country, affecting even the northernmost areas such as Galicia and Asturias, with the mercury touching 45C in the south, and killing over a thousand people.

Member comments

  1. In some earlier articles you mentioned leaving windows open at night. Good idea, but please make sure you have efficient fly/mosquito screens at the windows so that you are not at the mercy of the mozzies, moscas negras etc. My husband neglected to do this when he first came to Spain and slept with the balcon open to the stars; he was unrecognisable the next morning, his face etc (and I mean etcetera!) were so swollen and not in a good way!
    Also, the moths! Our village is nicknamed Velilla de potilla because we get plagues of moths. (Ribero Bajo de Aragon)

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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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