The National Weather Service AEMET said on Monday that mainland Spain experienced its hottest Mayday on Friday, with an average temperature of more than 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit).
According to the agency’s temporary data, the national average temperature reached 24.08c, breaking the record for the 23.73C month of settlement on May 21, 2022.
“It has been the hottest day in May in the entire Spain since the data series began in 1950,” AEMET wrote on social media.
The average temperature on Saturday reached 23.91c, making it the worst May day on record.
A large amount of hot air moving northward from Africa pushes northward in certain parts of Spain toward temperatures above normal levels of 10 degrees Celsius.
In southern Andalusia, the temperature exceeds 40°C.
Although unusual, this is not the first time Spain has experienced the possible extreme heat. Aemet said similar incidents occurred in 2015 and 2022.
“This reflects a scenario where summer conditions arrive earlier and even more frequently before the end of spring,” said Ruben Del Campo, a spokesman for AEMET.
Scientists say climate change driven by human activities is increasing the length, frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heat waves.
The hottest in Spain in the past three years, it was a drought of more than a year.
RS/DS/JXB
