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Spain hit by a particularly long and early heat peak

2023-04-12T15:23:41.110Z


Spain is experiencing an early drought, due to a lack of rainfall coupled with temperature peaks of 34°C in the south of the country. Several fires have already broken out in March.


Temperatures worthy of a month of July: 34°C in Cordoba and Estepona in Andalusia, 27°C in Madrid... It was very hot on the other side of the Pyrenees this Easter Monday, the result of a heat wave that has hit Spain since March 7, the second hottest month since the beginning of the century in the country according to Aemet (the National Meteorological Agency).

This heat wave which affects Spain, but also Portugal, is explained by the rise of tropical air from Morocco and the Canary Islands

”, deciphers Cyrille Duchesne, meteorologist for La Chaîne Météo*.

Added to this wave of hot air is the lack of precipitation, causing an early drought.

According to the specialist, the water reservoirs are already almost dry in Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia, which threatens the water supply and increases the risk of fires.

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Three fires have already ravaged several thousand hectares during the month of March, including one that burned more than 4,000 hectares in the Valencia region.

These fires are all the more dangerous "

due to the combination of high temperatures, strong gusts of wind and drought

", underlined the spokesman of the Aemet, Rubén del Campo, quoted by

El País

.

This situation is “

very worrying because it is sustainable,

analyzes Cyrille Duchesne for his part.

Usually we see occasional peaks in heat.

Temperatures are about 8°C above normal for the season

”.

Rapid drop in temperature

After more than a month of heat, the Spaniards have the right to a short respite of 48 hours, Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 April, thanks to a rainy deterioration and a slight drop in temperatures.

The latter will drop to 0°C on Thursday in Palencia in the Castile and Leon region.

We cannot speak of cold, but of normal temperatures, even cooler in the North West

,” said Rubén del Campo.

However, "

these rains will not affect the regions that need it

", underlines Cyrille Duchesne.

The rainy degradation "

unfortunately concerns only the North-West

" and in particular the regions of Asturias, Cantabria and Galicia.

Indeed, the hot air resists in the South with for example 32°C in Murcia on Wednesday afternoon.

In addition, this breath of fresh air will only be short-lived since the thermometer rises on Friday, with 17°C in Palencia and 32°C in the Canary Islands.

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For Cyrille Duchesne, this warming of the air accompanied by an early drought augurs a "

complicated summer with a high risk of fires and water shortages

".

*La Chaîne Météo is a property of the Le Figaro group.

Source: lefigaro

All tech articles on 2023-04-12

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