Cristina Hodgson
AS the summer season draws to a close, Spain has experienced an exceptionally scorching period, with Malaga taking centre stage in the heat wave.
A study conducted by Eltiempo.es has unveiled that Spain has witnessed the shattering of over 550 temperature records during the months of June, July, and August.
Among these records, 14 temperature highs were recorded in Malaga, accompanied by an average temperature increase of 2.2ºC.
Temperature recordings in Malaga show that the summer of 2023 was hotter than in 2022, with an average temperature of 27.7°C compared to 26.8°C, representing an increase of nearly one degree in just one year.
Over a longer time period, temperatures have surged by 2.2ºC compared to the average recorded at Malaga Airport between 1991 and 2020.
Additionally, the Meteorological Center of Malaga declared July as the hottest month in the region in the past eight decades.
The prevailing ‘terral’ wind, coupled with several heatwaves, has led to an average temperature of 29.5ºC, making it the warmest July since 1942, the year when temperature records began.
According to Jesus Riesco, the director of the Meteorological Center of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) in Malaga, these prolonged heat episodes are not isolated events but are driven by climate change.
In fact, in historical data, the 14 highest average temperature records for July are all concentrated in the 22 years of this century.
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