The unusually warm or spring episode of these last days has brought eight historical heat records in March in seven Spanish provinces, one of them unprecedented since at least 1948.
According to data from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), this Wednesday was the hottest March day ever recorded at the Bilbao airport, with 30.1 degrees, a value never recorded since the station in that place began to collect information in 1948.
The 30.0 degrees measured at the San Sebastián airport also drew attention, an unheard of value since 1956.
“These two observatories reached 30 degrees for the first time in their historical series in the month of March since there are records,” according to Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for Aemet.
In addition, this Wednesday there were three other records for the warmest day in March, with 32.7 degrees at the Lanzarote airport (ephemeris since 1973); 29.0 in Ciudad Real (since 1971), and 26.8 in Cáceres (since 1983).
However, this March 29 was “an exceptionally warm day for the time of year in most of Spain, except in the Mediterranean area,” according to Del Campo. Temperatures were between 7 and 14 degrees higher than normal for the time of year.
To those five records we must add another three registered this Thursday. One of them was the absolute maximum temperature in a month of March at the Tenerife South airport, with 37.7 degrees (ephemeris since 1981).
And the others refer to higher minimum values ​​in Toledo, with 13.8 degrees (record since 1982) and Lanzarote airport, with 22.4 degrees (since 1973). These two places lived this Thursday the warmest night of March ever recorded in those areas.
On the other hand, Spain has already accumulated five records for hot days so far this year: February 18 and March 12, 13, 16 and 29.
“The expected average in a full year for both record warm days and record cold days is around five records each. In 2023 we have already completed that theoretical quota of warm records in just one quarter and, for the moment, there have not been any records for cold days,” said Del Campo.
