Cristina Hodgson
WITH one day to go before the official start of the summer, Spain’s Met Office, AEMET, warns that the coming hot season will be a sultry one.
Sweltering heat waves are on their way, with the first predicted to hit Spain at the end of this week, which may see highs of 45ºC in the Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys.
However, the forecast rainfall is also expected to be heavier and more frequent than usual.
The combination of hot and wet weather will lead to a greater sensation of a muggy and oppressive climate.
Higher humidity, together with a higher temperature, will cause this sensation to increase, making the perceived thermal sensation hotter than it really is.
For a few summers now, especially the last one, Spain has been experiencing hotter than usual seasons, caused by more intense and longer-lasting heatwaves.
In fact, 2022 was the hottest year in Spain since records have been kept. Because of this, summers have been getting longer over the years.
Compared to the 1980s, the current summer lasts five weeks longer, increasing at a rate of nine days per decade.
Initial forecasts for this coming July, August and September warn that temperatures will again be above normal across Spain, with the added factor that one day you might roast in the heat and the next you might get drenched by a thunderstorm.
READ MORE:
- First heatwave of the summer, with highs of 45ºC, could hit Spain this week
- AEMET forecasts unsettled weather this week in Spain’s Malaga
