Mainland Spain on Thursday recorded an absolute temperature record for the month of April with 38.8 degrees Celsius in Cordoba (south), according to provisional data published this Friday by the Spanish meteorological agency (Aemet).
This temperature, recorded at the weather station of the airport of this Andalusian city, "
would be (...) the record temperature in mainland Spain for the month of April
", indicated Aemet on Twitter.
The previous record for mainland Spain dated from 2011 and was recorded in Elche (east) with 38.6 degrees.
This "
provisional data
" must still be "
confirmed
", which could take several days, the organization told AFP.
This record is not, however, an absolute record for the whole of Spain, the "
historic maximum having been recorded in 2013 in (the archipelago of)
the Canaries
", located off the northwest coast of Africa. , said the Aemet again.
This record was set at 40.2 degrees.
Early heat wave
Neighboring Portugal for its part recorded Thursday a record for a month of April for at least 78 years, at 36.9 degrees in Mora in the center of the country, according to the national meteorological institute.
Spain and Portugal are experiencing an exceptionally early heat wave this week caused by a mass of hot, dry air coming from North Africa.
Temperatures are expected to drop from the weekend.
Merchants of umbrellas, hats and fans become indispensable in Seville, April 26, 2023. CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
In Seville, the use of the fan resumes early this year, on April 26, 2023. CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
On Friday, the thermometer rose to 37.8 degrees at 12:50 GMT in Granada, Andalusia, according to Aemet readings.
Episodes of exceptionally high temperatures have multiplied in recent years in Spain, a European country on the front line of climate change with nearly 75% of its territory at risk of desertification according to the UN.
The country thus experienced its hottest year on record last year, with several heat waves starting in May, according to Aemet.
According to a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia published on Tuesday, the number of days of the year marked by summer temperatures fell in Spain from 90 to 145 between 1971 and 2022.
A tourist street hitch driver hydrates, in Seville, April 26, 2023. CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
Asphyxiated farmland
Beyond the temperatures, Spain, which exports a large part of its agricultural production to the rest of Europe, is facing a catastrophic drought which worries farmers and authorities.
According to Coag, the main farmers' union, 60% of Spanish agricultural land is currently "
asphyxiated
" by the lack of rainfall.
Sevillians protect themselves from sunburn with the help of umbrellas, April 28, 2023. CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
Monitoring forest fires
Favorable to fires, this heat wave led the government to launch its forest fire monitoring campaign on Friday, a month and a half earlier than usual.
A decision taken because the weather forecasts indicate that "
Spain will experience during the next few weeks an episode of unusual high temperatures for this time of year
", explained the Ministry of the Interior in a press release.
Concretely, from Friday, the authorities will “
carry out continuous monitoring of forest fires
” across the country in order to anticipate the needs for reinforcements from local firefighters and prevent the spread of fires, added the ministry.
A large part of the country has been placed, according to Aemet, on alert for “
very high
” or “
extreme
” risk of fires.
Spain is already on a record for burned areas since the start of the year, with more than 54,000 hectares compared to 17,126 hectares over the same period of 2022, a record year for fires, according to the European System of information on forest fires (Effis).
The beaches of Seville begin to fill up, April 18, 2023. GAIZKA IROZ
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