WEATHER experts have flagged a ‘historic’ moment in Almeria province after temperatures soared to an eye-watering 43C in the middle of the night.
Regional weather service Ametse said the extraordinary spike was recorded at 2.55am on Thursday in El Toyo, just 10 miles from Almeria city.
The surge was caused by what experts call a ‘heat burst’ – a weather phenomenon capable of generating rapid temperature rises of more than 10C in less than 10 minutes, while causing humidity to plummet in the blink of an eye.
Heat bursts can be humid or dry, as in Almeria. According to experts, they occur when a mass of hot air rapidly descends to the Earth’s surface and compresses.
READ MORE: Seven Britons and one US national among 13 dead after devastating Almeria wildfire
As the air mass contains a storm, evaporated raindrops cool the lower layer of air before an ‘inversion’ phenomenon takes place, with the hot layer replacing the cooler one.
Areas such as Sorbas, Tabernas and El Toyo on Almeria Bay were among the worst affected by these torrid nights.
Graphs show a dramatic rise in El Toyo over just half an hour, with temperatures climbing from 30C at 2.30am to 43.3C at 3am. The temperature line is matched by a sharp drop in humidity, creating an exceptionally hot and dry heat burst.
In Sorbas, temperatures shot up from 28.2C at 3.20am to 37.3C just six minutes later, while humidity fell by 19% and winds reached 18km/h.
Residents across the province reported feeling intensely hot winds, waking up roasting, and even seeing muddy raindrops fall from the sky, likely caused by Saharan dust.
READ MORE: Family of British couple critically injured in Almeria wildfire raise funds for medical costs
These nights have ushered in the scorching canÃcula period, traditionally the hottest time of the year in Spain, which typically runs from around July 15 to August 15.
They come just days after the deadliest fire in Andalucia’s recorded history killed 13 people and scorched 70 square kilometres of countryside across Almeria province.
Seven of the victims have been confirmed as British, while another was a US national.
The wildfire broke out last Thursday after a downed power line apparently ignited a patch of dry vegetation, sparking the blaze near the town of Los Gallardos.
Fanned by winds of up to 50km/h, the flames spread rapidly across Almeria province before firefighters and soldiers finally brought the fire under control on Sunday.
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