Laurence Dollimore
IT is now widely accepted that summer in Spain will bring temperatures of 40C or more, particularly in the south and inland areas.
Crippling heatwaves, longer summers and higher temperatures are becoming the norm as a result of climate change.
Today, a heatwave is engulfing the majority of the country, with highs of 44C predicted in areas of the south. It could become the hottest day since official records began in 1950.
But almost 100 years ago, things looked very different.
State weather agency AEMET today released a weather report from July 19, 1932, which recorded temperatures that would today be considered abnormally low for the height of summer.
On that day, for example, the highest temperature in Cordoba was 25C, while today it is expected to reach up to an astonishing 44C.
The same story is repeated for Granada, Huelva and Jaen, which today will near 40C or more, but back in 1932 none of them surpassed 30C.
Even in the north, the scenario is similar, with San Sebastian recording highs of 18C in 1932, and in the high 20s today.
In fact some areas even reported snow, including in inhabited villages like Teruel, in the northern province of Aragon.
While the snow was considered an unlikely event at the time, the chances of the white stuff falling in mid-july these days are near zero.
In a tweet on X, Aemet wrote: “92 years ago it snowed in some towns in Spain in the middle of summer.
“The daily bulletin of July 20, 1932, which collects data from the previous day, shows temperatures typical of late February or early March in many areas.”
The old reports were first shared by Aemet expert Vicente Aupi this morning.
He wrote: “In 1932 it snowed in Bronchales… ‘Like every year,’ you will say. But if I tell you that this photo is from July 19, everything changes.
“Yes, on this day, 92 years ago, it snowed in Spain during the heat of summer, and not only in the mountains: also in inhabited areas. A summer of cold and record rainfall.”
