Morning temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius in Spain during October may have delighted tourists, but they are causing concern among scientists.
The mercury is rising well above normal across Europe, from Spain to Sweden.
After a summer marked by repeated heat waves, exceptional temperatures prevail in Europe even at the beginning of autumn, which is a sign of accelerating climate change.
“The month is not over yet, but we can already say with almost certainty that it will be the warmest month (in Spain) since 1961, when data began to be collected,” he said. Ruben del Campo from the Spanish meteorological service Aemet, adding that if historical data is taken into account, this October in Spain is the warmest in a hundred years.
“One, two days above 30 degrees is normal” for Spain, he said. “But so many days, no. These are summer temperatures, and we have already entered autumn”.
On Friday morning, the northern resort of San Sebastian recorded a temperature of 30.3 degrees Celsius at 8.30am, well above the seasonal average.
In recent days, fires broke out in the Basque Country, where San Sebastian is located, so the authorities banned barbecues and fireworks.
The unusual heat wave brought a new word to the Spanish language – “verono”, a combination of the words verano (summer) and otono (autumn).
Del Campo said that in the last ten years there has been a “significant acceleration” of climate change and the increasing desertification of the country.
According to the think tank Climate Central, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Zaragoza are among the ten European cities most affected by global warming according to evidence from the last 12 months.
From Spain to Sweden
Neighboring France, like Spain, recorded a warmer October than average. And it’s warm in the far north, in Sweden, where a record 19.5 degrees was measured in the southern city of Kristianstad on Friday.
“It’s the highest temperature ever recorded in Sweden this late,” he said Erik Hojgard-Olsena meteorologist at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).
In the south-west of France, which has been affected by large forest fires this summer, Meteo France announced on Friday that temperatures approached 30 degrees.
In Belgium, the capital Brussels recorded a maximum temperature of 24 degrees, a full 10 degrees above normal for the end of October.
The British Met Office announced on Wednesday that London enjoyed a warm 20.5 degrees Celsius, which is closer to the temperatures that prevail in late August, rather than October.
A warm front from the south-west of the continent has also affected Germany, which is enjoying temperatures that are more in line with summer than the beginning of November.
“It’s hard to believe it’s the end of October as large parts of Europe (and North Africa) are unusually warm,” the World Meteorological Organization announced on Twitter on Friday.
It’s not normal
Ruben del Campo said that some people may like the fact that they don’t have to turn on the central heating for the time being and that they can even go to the beach.
“But actually the consequences are not good,” he said, pointing to low groundwater levels, which is bad news for Spain, whose agriculture supplies Europe with much of its fruit and vegetables.
Spain’s underground water supplies fell to 31.8 percent of capacity last week, compared to the ten-year seasonal average of 49.3 percent.
Residents and tourists who enjoyed the beaches of Barcelona said that they are aware that there is a negative side to such warm weather.
“We are really happy about this warm weather, we like it. But that’s not normal,” she said Alicia Pesqueraa 43-year-old beautician.
“Of course it worries us. Now it should be raining or at least a little cold,” he said Fernando Raibasa tourist from Galicia.
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