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Date Published: 08/06/2022

ARCHIVED - The Mediterranean exception: southern Spain braces for first heatwave of the year

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Temperatures of up to 40ºC are forecast for areas of the Mediterranean coast in Spain in the coming days

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - The Mediterranean exception: southern Spain braces for first heatwave of the year

Spain has experienced every kind of weather imaginable in recent months and this week is no exception, with the south of the country expected to bake in scorching temperatures while rain and even storms are forecast in the north. From Wednesday June 8, the mercury will drop across much of the peninsula; that is, aside from what meteorologists are coining the “Mediterranean exception”, where the thermometers will hit 37ºC in Malaga and 38ºC in the Vega del Segura in Murcia.

If the predictions pan out, it’s entirely “possible” that southern Spain will experience its first real heatwave of the year, although Aemet spokesperson Ruben del Campo has cautioned that it is still a bit early to “affirm it outright.” If the mercury rises to these lofty heights, it would be one of the earliest heatwaves on record, the last reported on June 11 1981.

We have an “intense episode of high temperatures” ahead of us, according to Aemet, and from Thursday June 9 the rise will be “widespread and may last at least until next Monday or Tuesday”, with the mercury expected to top off at a blistering 40ºC in the valleys of Guadalquivir, Guadiana and the Ebro, while most of the country won’t dip below 35ºC.

If it does arrive, Mr del Campo expects the heatwave to begin in earnest on Saturday June 11 or Sunday June 12, although a number of meteorological factors must occur in tandem for this to happen: a high-pressure system would trap air over Spain, allowing it to reach unusually high temperatures due to the amount of sunlight. The high pressure also causes a downward movement, which compresses the air and heats it even further.

So far this month, Spain has experienced abundant sunshine and the sun remains very high above the horizon; the stability means that there is not a lot of wind so the surface is being heated very efficiently and quickly, resulting in the skyrocketing temperatures.

Image: Archive

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