Heatwave shatters October temperature records across Spain
Temperatures in at least 90 towns and cities in Spain have hit record highs for October with the unseasonable heat likely to last over a week, the country's AEMET weather agency has warned.
High temperatures across Spain resulted in three "record days of heat" that began on Friday with the mercury peaking on Sunday at 38.2 degrees Celsius (100.7 Fahrenheit) in the southern town of Montoro near Córdoba, it said.
The previous October record was set in 2014, when the mercury hit 37.5C in the southern town of Marbella.
Lugo, Ourense, Soria, Burgos, Valladolid, Ávila, Segovia, Salamanca, Zamora, Getafe, Toledo, Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Jaén, Córdoba, Granada, Sevilla, Cuenca, Teruel, Pamplona, Zaragoza and Lleida were among the cities where record temperatures for October have been set in the first two days of the month.
Spain's capital also recorded its highest October temperature - 33C at Madrid's Barajas Airport.
"On October 1st, it reached an all-time high for this time of year in practically the entire Iberian Peninsula," it said on X, formerly Twitter, saying that nearly 40 percent of its weather stations had registered a temperature of 32C or higher.
🔴El domingo, 1 de octubre, cerca del 40 % de las estaciones automáticas de AEMET alcanzaron o superaron los 32 ºC.
🔴Los días 29 y 30 de septiembre y 1 de octubre fueron récord de días cálidos.
🔴Durante esta semana continuarán las condiciones muy cálidas y secas para la época. pic.twitter.com/eD4pzsM6M5
— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) October 2, 2023
The situation was similar on Monday, with the southern city of Seville reaching 38.1C, AEMET figures showed.
"But the most extraordinary thing is that there are still quite a few unseasonably warm days left: we could have up to 10 more days of record heat," it said.
Although it has become accustomed to soaring summer temperatures, notably in the south, Spain has experienced an uptick in longer and hotter heatwaves, experts say.
Spain, which had its hottest year on record in 2022, has been in the grip of successive heatwaves this year which got off to an unusually early start in April, exacerbating an ongoing drought.
Experts say the recurring heatwaves, which have been getting longer and more intense, are a consequence of climate change.
The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, with droughts and wildfires becoming more and more common.
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High temperatures across Spain resulted in three "record days of heat" that began on Friday with the mercury peaking on Sunday at 38.2 degrees Celsius (100.7 Fahrenheit) in the southern town of Montoro near Córdoba, it said.
The previous October record was set in 2014, when the mercury hit 37.5C in the southern town of Marbella.
Lugo, Ourense, Soria, Burgos, Valladolid, Ávila, Segovia, Salamanca, Zamora, Getafe, Toledo, Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Jaén, Córdoba, Granada, Sevilla, Cuenca, Teruel, Pamplona, Zaragoza and Lleida were among the cities where record temperatures for October have been set in the first two days of the month.
Spain's capital also recorded its highest October temperature - 33C at Madrid's Barajas Airport.
"On October 1st, it reached an all-time high for this time of year in practically the entire Iberian Peninsula," it said on X, formerly Twitter, saying that nearly 40 percent of its weather stations had registered a temperature of 32C or higher.
🔴El domingo, 1 de octubre, cerca del 40 % de las estaciones automáticas de AEMET alcanzaron o superaron los 32 ºC.
— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) October 2, 2023
🔴Los días 29 y 30 de septiembre y 1 de octubre fueron récord de días cálidos.
🔴Durante esta semana continuarán las condiciones muy cálidas y secas para la época. pic.twitter.com/eD4pzsM6M5
The situation was similar on Monday, with the southern city of Seville reaching 38.1C, AEMET figures showed.
"But the most extraordinary thing is that there are still quite a few unseasonably warm days left: we could have up to 10 more days of record heat," it said.
Although it has become accustomed to soaring summer temperatures, notably in the south, Spain has experienced an uptick in longer and hotter heatwaves, experts say.
Spain, which had its hottest year on record in 2022, has been in the grip of successive heatwaves this year which got off to an unusually early start in April, exacerbating an ongoing drought.
Experts say the recurring heatwaves, which have been getting longer and more intense, are a consequence of climate change.
The Iberian Peninsula is bearing the brunt of climate change in Europe, with droughts and wildfires becoming more and more common.
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