We are experiencing an unusual heat wave in Spain. In recent days, the highest temperatures so far this summer have been registered, a season that, far from ending, seems to be being delayed. 45,4ºC in Las Cabezas de San Juan (Seville), 42,9ºC in Xàtiva (Valencia), 39ºC in Ses Salines, Mallorca (Balearic Islands),… And so, up to 38 provinces spending a late summer, at least, scorching.
Now, is it really a heat wave?
According to experts from the State Meteorological Agency, the AEMET, a heat wave must last at least three days in a row and be noticed in more than 10% of cities, in which the warning threshold must be reached orange, something is happening: a total of 38 provinces are on alert for heat, with temperatures ranging between 34 and 43ºC.
Thus, little by little it is becoming an extraordinary phenomenon, not only because of the dates in which we are, but also and above all because of the values that are being registered. As Modesto Sánchez Barriga, AEMET spokesperson explained, extreme values have been recorded, such as 39ºC at the Santiago de Compostela airport, the 42,3ºC in Cáceres or the 39,8ºC in Albacete.
What is this phenomenon due to? It cannot be known for sure yet, but experts believe it may be because the El Niño phenomenon has ended. When it does, the state of the atmosphere is greatly altered, so energy is released that causes the air to change its circulation, as explained by Belén Rodríguez de Fonseca, from the Department of Geophysics and Meteorology of the Complutense University of Madrid.
When El Niño ends and La Niña arrives, heat waves and droughts often occur in Europe. But, as we mentioned, it is still too early to draw conclusions.