Spain experienced unusually warm temperatures for winter on Thursday, with a mass of hot air pushing the mercury to just below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas.
Temperatures reached or exceeded 20 degrees Celsius at about 400 weather stations, or almost half of the national weather agencies, National Weather Service spokesperson Emmett Ruben del Campo told X (formerly Twitter). wrote, calling the numbers “extraordinary.”
The mercury rose to 29.5°C in eastern Valencia, 28.5°C in Murcia in the southeast, and 27.8°C near Malaga in the south. This temperature is usually seen in June, not January.
Night temperatures were also higher than average.
At the small ski resort of Puerto de Navacerrada near Madrid, the mercury remained below 10 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night. The resort is 1,900 meters (6,200 feet) above sea level and is usually covered in snow at this time of year.
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University of Valencia researcher David Correll said the winter heat, which is also affecting southeastern France, was caused by the presence of a strong high-pressure system over the Mediterranean Sea.
“While there are no studies yet that have assessed long-term trends in these types of events, it is clear that these types of unusual situations are occurring more and more frequently,” he told AFPTV.
Spain also recorded unusually high temperatures in December, with the mercury reaching a high of 29.9 degrees Celsius in Malaga, setting a national record for the month.
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The heat comes amid a prolonged drought affecting large parts of the country, particularly northeastern Catalonia and southwestern Andalusia.
In Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia and Spain’s second-largest city, the water level in its reservoirs dropped to about 17% of its capacity in mid-January.
If capacity drops below 16 percent, which could be imminent, the region will declare a state of emergency.
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As climate change raises global temperatures, scientists warn that heat waves will become more frequent and more intense.
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