A hell.
The heat does not let up in the central and northern areas of Argentina.
And, until mid-February, maximum temperatures above 40 degrees
are expected
.
The Cuyo region is going through the
largest heat wave
since meteorological records began at the beginning of the last century, with temperatures that will reach 42°C.
In Mendoza, this Tuesday, constant power outages
were recorded
in the metropolitan area due to low voltage due to the high demand for electricity consumption.
The heat spreads to the rest of the country.
The AMBA is experiencing the beginning of the hottest week of 2024, with maximums of up to 36 °C.
However, the most affected area is the southwest of the Province of Buenos Aires.
San Juan record
Doctor in Meteorology Federico Norte, researcher at Conicet, told
Clarín
that Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis are going through the longest and most intense heat wave in history since there is meteorological data, at the beginning of the last century.
The minimum temperatures throughout the week will range between 22°C and 24°C and the maximum temperatures will range from
38°C to 42°C
.
Within the Cuyo region, San Juan is the province with the highest temperatures.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) announced a maximum temperature of 42°C in San Juan for this Tuesday.
Thermal values will continue to be high until the weekend with peaks between
38°C and 41°C
.
In 2023 the temperature reached the maximum record of 44.9 °C.
Photo Archive / José Gutierrez / Los Andes
The high marks advance towards the center of the country.
The oppressive heat has already begun to be felt in the metropolitan area and south of Buenos Aires.
Norte predicted that we are facing
an unprecedented scenario
.
"The heat wave
will continue until mid-February
. The record high temperatures that the country is experiencing are a consequence of climate change," he said.
"This is the longest heat wave that has been recorded in Cuyo. It will last until February 15, but it could be a little shorter in the city and province of Buenos Aires," said the Conicet specialist.
A research work by Norte with his colleague Marcelo Seluchi, showed that the highest temperature reached in Mendoza had been in January 2003, with 44.3 °C.
That temperature was surpassed at the end of 2023, by a combination of zonda wind and heat wave, which reached the maximum record of 44.9 °C.
The Meteorology researcher clarified that the difference between the highest record and January 2024 is that the extreme temperatures
will be experienced for more than three days
: "A heat wave is defined when the minimum and maximum temperatures exceed the temperatures by more than 2.5°C. average values for the month," said Norte.
The city of San Martín, 40 kilometers from the capital of Mendoza, registered a minimum temperature of 27 °C
on Tuesday morning
.
It is a historical record, which exceeds the 26.5°C of January 11, 2022.
North commented that the World Meteorological Organization and scientific research centers in the United States have reported that,
"2024 will be the warmest year since meteorological records can be remembered
. "
The heat in Buenos Aires
Cindy Fernández, from the SMN, explained that the feeling of oppressive heat is because it is the first heat wave of the summer season.
"To the heat wave that is perceived in Cuyo and northern Patagonia, is added the southwest of Buenos Aires, which has had high temperatures for a week and will continue like this until the weekend," he said.
"Towards the weekend,
the fatigue that we are going to have due to the heat is going to be very great
," according to the meteorologist.
Heat waves are characteristic of every year, what is happening is that temperatures are increasing in the world.
In recent years, it has been observed that high pressures are beginning to appear in the atmosphere, with days of clear skies and intense sunshine.
Fernández said that for a week and for the next few days we will continue to experience high temperatures in central and northern Argentina, with maximum temperatures above 35 degrees.
The SMN issued a
red alert
in six provinces: La Pampa, Río Negro, Neuquén, Mendoza, San Luis and south of Buenos Aires, on the coastal strip.
There is a low chance of rain in the next few days.
The week will be mostly with clear and sunny skies, so the heat of the sun will hit the AMBA fully.
There will be a slight drop on the weekend, when the minimums will drop and the maximums will be around 34.
Mendoza. Correspondent
MG