Spain endured a 16-day heatwave from 3-18 August that exceeded the previous record and registered an average temperature 4.6C higher than prior such phenomena. The heatwave intensified tinderbox conditions and helped fuel wildfires across the north and west of the country. An estimated more than 1,100 deaths have been linked to the heatwave, according to the Carlos III Health Institute. Since 1975 AEMET has recorded 77 heatwaves, six of which were 4C or more above average, five occurring since 2019. AEMET identified 8-17 August as the hottest 10 consecutive days since at least 1950, and scientists attribute increasing heatwave frequency and intensity to the climate crisis while stressing the need to adapt and mitigate climate change.
Provisional readings for the 3-18 August heatwave exceeded the last record, set in July 2022, and showed an average temperature 4.6C higher than for previous such phenomena, the agency said on X. The August heatwave exacerbated tinderbox conditions in Spain that fuelled wildfires that continue to ravage parts of the north and west of the country. More than 1,100 deaths in Spain have been linked to the heatwave, according to an estimate released on Tuesday by the Carlos III Health Institute.
Since it began its records in 1975, AEMET has registered 77 heatwaves in Spain, with six going 4C or more above the average five of those since 2019. Scientists say the climate crisis is driving longer, more intense and more frequent heatwaves worldwide. AEMET said a 10-day period within the last heatwave, covering 8-17 August, was the hottest 10 consecutive days recorded in Spain since at least 1950.
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