A warning was issued in much of Spain yesterday after severe heat swept across the country, leaving residents and tourists battling May temperatures, some of the highest in two decades, the AP reported.
The hot and dry air mass carrying dust from North Africa caused the temperature to rise by 15 degrees above average, while in some parts of the country the mercury column rose above 40 degrees Celsius.
The Spanish State Meteorological Agency said it expected “unusual and extreme” temperatures to peak on Sunday. “These are probably some of the highest temperatures we measured in May of the 21st century,” said Ruben del Campo, a spokesman for the agency.
Although temperatures are not expected to reach the levels identified by Spanish meteorologists as abnormal heat, the uniqueness of this episode will be its duration. Overnight temperatures are expected to exceed 20 degrees Celsius in many places. High temperatures are expected in the northeast in the coming days, and relief from the heat is expected only after Sunday.
The state meteorological agency said today that it had issued a heat warning for four districts. In Castille-La Mancha, Extremadura and Madrid, a yellow code has been introduced to indicate an increased level of risk, and in Andalusia in the south, an orange code has been introduced to indicate a significant risk due to high heat. No code has been introduced in any region, the highest level that is introduced when the risk is extremely high.
Del Campo described the May heat as part of a broader trend when summer weather began to arrive in Spain almost a month earlier than in the 1980s. He clearly stated the reason.
“What is behind all this? Climate change is obviously anthropogenic, caused by greenhouse gas emissions associated with human activities,” said Del Campo.