Europe

Spain bakes in summer-like heat with impact on reservoirs and daily life

Schools close and fields dry up earlier than usual with record April temperature of 38.8 degrees recorded

A man drinks water to cool off himself in the high temperatures in Seville in the midst of a heatwave. Photograph: Cristina Quicler/Getty Images

Constant Méheut
Sat Apr 29 2023 - 11:24

In Madrid, where it hit around 32 degrees Celsius on Friday, schools were allowed to close early to avoid the heat. In Catalonia, it’s so dry that the valves of an irrigation canal have been closed for lack of water. And in Seville, police are investigating the death of a horse pulling a tourist carriage from apparent heatstroke.

With temperatures over 38 degrees in early April, people in Spain have moved into summer mode, looking for shade, hitting the beach. But the extreme heat – so early in the year – has prompted fears that it is no longer a seasonal phenomenon but a new daily reality.

On Thursday, Spain’s mainland recorded its highest-ever temperature for April, reaching 38.8 degrees Celsius, in the southern city of Cordoba. And in several areas of the country, temperatures have exceeded seasonal norms by more than 13 degrees.

Coinciding with a long-running drought that has depleted reservoirs and dried up fields, the extreme heat has left experts and authorities bracing for an earlier-than-expected return of heat-related disasters, such as wildfires.

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“It’s really extraordinary,” Cayetano Torres, a spokesman for the country’s weather service, told Spanish television this week. “We’re quite surprised.”

Spain’s weather agency had warned for several days of the incoming high temperatures, which peaked Thursday and Friday.

In and around Madrid, authorities worked to help hospitals, schools and health centres cope, including by ensuring that adequate air conditioning is provided. They also opened outdoor swimming pools a month earlier than usual. Subway trains will be more frequent to avoid overcrowding in scorching heat.

Residents are being advised to stay hydrated and to provide care for vulnerable people such as children and the elderly.

The heat has also affected nearby countries including Morocco, Algeria and Portugal, said Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist who tracks extreme temperatures.

While tying a single heatwave to climate change requires analysis, scientists have no doubt that heatwaves worldwide are becoming hotter, more frequent and longer lasting. – This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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