Extreme’ heat wave grips Spain
Neighbor France braces for arrival of soaring temperatures
A woman takes pictures in downtown Valencia, Spain, on Feb. 11, 2022. Spain lifted the obligation to wear face masks outdoors
Spain was on Monday in the grips of a heat wave expected to reach “extreme” levels with France set to follow suit as meteorologists blame the unusually high seasonal temperatures on global warming.
The “unusual” temperatures in the first-half of June come after Spain experienced its hottest May in at least 100 years, Ruben del Campo, spokesman for the Spanish Meteorological Agency (Aemet) said.
He told AFP the current heat wave would bring “extreme temperatures” and “could last until the end of the week.”
Temperatures are forecast to rise above 40 C in the center and south of the country on Monday, and even climb as high as 43 C in the southern Andalusia region, especially in the cities of Cordoba or Seville, according to Aemet.
The heat wave is also set to spread elsewhere in Europe, such as France, in the next few days, Del Campo warned.
France’s weather service said the heat wave would hit southern regions from late Tuesday, worsening a drought across much of the country that is threatening farm harvests.
From Wednesday, much of France will swelter in temperatures that could reach 38 or even 40 C – “extremely early” for the season – forecaster Frederic Nathan of Meteo-France told AFP.
Water use restrictions are already in place in around a third of France – and utilities are urging farmers, factories and public service providers to show “restraint” in their water use.
In Portugal, hot weather began on Friday, prompting the civil protection authority to raise the alert level over the risks of forest fires.
Portugal was among several European nations to have faced fierce fires in the summer of 2021, which climate scientists warn will become increasingly common due to manmade global warming.
In 2017, fires killed dozens of people in Portugal.
Recent science has shown beyond any doubt that climate change has already increased the frequency and intensity of heat waves, and that worse is on the horizon no matter how quickly humanity draws down carbon pollution.
Earth has already warmed 1.1 C since pre-industrial times.
The decade from 2011 to 2020 was the warmest on record, and the last six years the hottest ever registered.
Spain has experienced four episodes of extreme temperatures in the last 10 months.
A heat wave in August 2021 set a new record, with the temperature hitting 47.4 C in the southern city of Montoro.
“This extreme heat is not normal at this time during the spring,” Del Campo said, attributing it to global warming.
Temperatures were also “exceptionally high” between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
