Walter Finch
FEARS are rising over what the summer has in store for Spain after an unseasonably early heatwave broke the temperature record for April on Thursday.
The residents of Cordoba had to endure temperatures of 38.8C, beating the country’s highest April temperature record of 38.6C registered in Elche back in 2011
Record temperatures were set all over the country.
Seville recorded 37C, surpassing the 35.4C registered on April 30, 1997, and Badajoz broke its previous record of 35.4C with a temperature of 36.1C.
Even Valladolid, further north, broke its previous record by exceeding 30C in April.
Some parts of the south could experience temperatures up to 15 degrees above average for the time of year.
Meanwhile, cities like Jaen and Malaga are set to experience tropical nights where the thermometer won’t drop below 20C.
Spanish weather agency Aemet has warned of a ‘very high’ risk of fires and called for extreme caution due to the warm and dry air from North Africa.
As many as 54,000 hectares of land have already been ravaged by fire this year just in the spring.
In comparison, in 2022 – Spain’s hottest since 1961 – 306,000 hectares were burned, but this figure includes the sweltering summer months.
The Health Ministry is reportedly considering implementing a heat prevention plan two weeks early to help regions respond to the effects of the hot weather.
Meanwhile, Spain is undergoing a severe drought, with 27% of the country’s territory classified as in a drought ‘emergency’ or ‘alert’, and water reserves at 50% of capacity nationally.
The Spanish government has requested emergency funds from the European Union to support farmers and ranchers in the country’s agricultural heartlands, including the Guadalquivir Valley.
This drought has already driven up prices of Spanish olive oil to record levels as farmers report catastrophic crop failures.
UN figures suggest that nearly 75% of Spain’s land is susceptible to desertification in the coming years due to climate change.
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