Spain is facing its fourth heat wave of the summer, with five territories on orange alert and temperatures forecast to exceed 40ºC in various regions. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has put Andalusia, Aragon, Catalonia, Murcia and the autonomous city of Ceuta on guard, marking a new episode of extreme heat that began this past Saturday and will last until Tuesday.
This episode of heat, which will mark the weekend and last until Tuesday, will begin with a gradual increase in temperatures. Areas such as the Cordovan countryside, the Guadalquivir valley in Jaén, and the Guadalentín Valley in Murcia expect to reach 40ºC by early Saturday afternoon, while in regions such as Sol and Guadalhorce in Málaga, temperatures could reach 42ºC.
Additionally, other areas such as the central depression of Lleida, the south of Huesca and the Ribera del Ebro in Zaragoza will experience temperatures close to 39 ºC. Even the Strait and Ceuta could reach this figure.
But the heat wave is not limited to these territories; eight additional communities, including the Balearic Islands, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid, Navarra, the Basque Country, La Rioja and the Valencian Community, are on yellow alert. Here, the expected maximums will oscillate between 36 and 38 ºC, with the possibility of locally reaching 40 ºC in some provinces of Seville and Huelva.
The first heat wave in August already included a historical record of temperatures in the city of Valencia, marking the seriousness of the climate situation in the country. The frequency and intensity of these heat waves can be interpreted as indicators of climate change, a global concern that requires immediate attention.
Thus, this series of heat waves is not an isolated event, but rather part of a broader weather pattern. The month of July this year was the hottest ever measured on the planet globally and the sixth in the Spanish historical series, which began in 1961. It was also the fifth warmest of the 21st century in Spain, with two waves of heat more during that month.
