Alex Trelinski
NOVEMBER temperatures in parts of Spain were the highest for years with the Valencian Community reaching average figures not seen since 1950.
In Malaga province, last month was also one of the warmest and driest Novembers for 73 years.
State meteorological forecaster Aemet attributed the trend to global warming ‘induced by human activities’.
Between November 10 and November 16, Spain experienced the summer of San Martin, an ‘unusual warm episode’, according to Aemet, which meant the arrival of almost summer-like temperatures on the Mediterranean coast.
The phenomenon, which does not occur every year, brought with it average temperatures of between 15 and 17 degrees with areas like the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol hitting above 30 degrees.
The rise also pushed up the average values of minimum temperatures, with a difference of almost ten degrees between the November 12(12.3 degrees) and November(2.5 degrees).
There was not a single day that daytime values dropped below the 15 degree mark.
Ruben del Campo, spokesman for Aemet, has predicted that once all the figures are in, the last three months were going to be more than an ‘autumn summer’, and might be the warmest ever in modern weather reporting.
Looking at data from around the country, Valencia City matched last year’s November high- the warmest since 1869.
In Catalunya, Girona province saw the maximum temperature exceed 28 degrees on November 14- the same date on which the average temperature was 19ºC, which is the highest value over the last 30 years.
Ourense province also broke its average temperature record on November 12 with 20 degrees, while Madrid reached its highest minimum last Friday with 12.1 degrees.
