The heat wave puts almost a thousand municipalities at high health risk: See the level of danger in its locality | Climate and Environment - News Room USA

This summer’s second heat wave began yesterday with an update of the State Meteorology Agency (Aemet) in which he extended the special notice for this phenomenon at least until the next weekend. Although at first it was expected that this extreme episode will be extended until Thursday, at which time uncertainty increases, the AEmet ensures that with the current information the most likely scenario is that on Friday the temperatures descend in the Cantabrian, but that they rise again through the west peninsular, so that the heat wave is maintained at least until Sunday, day 10. Planet is aggravating these phenomena, both in frequency, in intensity and duration.

On Sunday there was [[alto_riesgo_muni]] municipalities in areas high for heat health ([[perc_riesgo_alto_muni]]%), [[riesgo_medio_muni]] at medium risk ([[perc_riesgo_medio_muni]]%) y [[bajo_riesgo_muni]] at low risk ([[perc_bajo_riesgo_muni]]%). Consult on the map the areas where heat will reach dangerous levels for health in these three days, according to those of the Ministry of Health and Aemet.

It is expected that high Atlantic pressures over a good part of the territory and a Dana in the west peninsular, which will favor the entrance of a mass of warm and dry air from the African continent that will affect much of the Peninsula.

On Monday, high temperatures will continue after Sunday’s rise and will extend more significantly within the Cantabrian facade, where they could be locally notable. That day the values close to 40 degrees will be recorded again around the main depressions of the peninsular half and it is considered very likely that 42 degrees will be exceeded in the environment of the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir.

Although in the Canary Islands temperatures can also be high since Monday 4, the heat wave criteria will not be fulfilled in the archipelago.

There is no unique definition of what a heat wave is. For Aemet, which is the one that has declared the notice in Spain, it is an episode of at least three consecutive days in which at least 10% of the meteorological reference stations in the country record maximums above the 95 percentile of its historical series of daily maxims of the months of July and August between 1971 and 2000.

Health risks

Heat has direct impacts on population health and increases death. A team from the Carlos III Health Institute has calculated the maximum temperatures from which for the so -called Meteosalud areas (areas of territory formed by several municipalities that are homogeneous in terms of the behavior of daily temperatures). That study is the one that is based to launch the sanitary alerts, which are complementary to which Aemet sends (which are only based on temperature).

The health alert system divides Spain in 182 Meteosalud areas with a maximum temperature threshold that is established taking into account the mortality recorded in each region when extreme temperatures are reached. To determine the alert levels of each day a 72 -hour window is taken, given the impact on the health of persistent heat.

Today there will be [[alto_riesgo_zonas]] Meteosalud areas at level 3 and [[riesgo_medio_zonas]] at level 2 in Spain. The temperature in the next few days.

Minimal temperatures

According to the AEMET, although in the minimum temperatures the ascent will not be so widespread and accused, it will be enough to be noticed at night. In fact, they are not expected to fall from 23-25º C in large areas of the central and southern peninsular, as well as around the Mediterranean coast.

The table can consult the Aemet forecast in its municipality and if the risk threshold of the Meteosalud area where it is located is expected.

Regions on alert according to Aemet

In addition to the sanitary alerts and warnings per heat wave, there is a Aemet Meteoalerta plan. In this case, the declaration of alerts linked to high temperatures is contemplated. The following map shows the areas that have active notices for maximum temperatures.

These notices are established in accordance with specific for each area on a specific day, without the three -day temporary framework used by the map of the Ministry of Health and without taking into account mortality. For example, in the metropolitan area of Madrid and Henares, the yellow alert is activated from 34 degrees and the red one, when 42 degrees are exceeded, while Canary Islands or Asturias enter the same temperature at a yellow level, but they pass to maximum alert with 40. To calculate those thresholds, AEMET is based on the historical temperature data of each area.

How to cope with extreme temperatures

Heat has direct impacts on the health of the population, especially among children and older people or with chronic diseases. In a context of increasingly long and frequent heat waves, the effects of excess temperature is essential.