Despite the forecasts of a temperature decrease on Wednesday, the State Meteorology Agency considers that the heat wave could be extended until Monday, August 18, since on Thursday the forecasts indicate a heat rebound. On the tenth day of the heat wave there are five provinces under red notice: to the south, Córdoba, Huelva and Seville, and to the north, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. This is shown by the Aemet forecasts, which indicate a partial truce for Wednesday and a scenario with “very high” temperatures for Thursday.
Spain dawns on the tenth day of the heat wave with five provinces under red warning. To the south, Córdoba, Huelva and Sevilla, and to the north, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. This is shown by the forecasts of the State Meteorology Agency (Aemet), which expect this Tuesday to be the end of this episode, although there is still a lot of uncertainty about it.
On Monday it was recorded as the warmest since, on Sunday, August 3, the heat wave episode began. According to the Aemet data, 198 stations of the agency – one of four – registered values equal to or greater than 40 degrees, with 63 of them reaching 42 or more. The maximum temperature of the day was recorded in Granado (Huelva), where the thermometers marked 44.3 degrees. In, Híjar (Teruel) and Mérida (Badajoz), 43.9 degrees were recorded.
where the temperatures touched the 32 degrees in locations such as the Pinar-La Dehesa de Tenerife and San Bartolomé de Tirajana in Gran Canaria. In the peninsula the hottest night has passed it in Osuna, Seville, with 29.7 degrees.
Today the 17 autonomous communities are under some type of weather notice due to high temperatures. The most affected will be Andalusia and the Basque Country (both with provinces with red notice), and another 11 under orange notice: Aragon, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, Community of Madrid, Navarra, La Rioja and Canary Islands.
⚠️🔴 Redavisos for maximum temperatures | Tuesday, August 12.
🌡️ They will be able to reach or overcome:
→ Gipuzkoa Interior and Bizkaia Interior: 40 ° C.
→ Huelva coast: 42 ° C.
→ Sevillian countryside and Cordoba countryside: 44 ° C.
🟠 Numerous orange notices. A lot of caution!
– Aemet (@aemet_esp)
Temperatures are expected to rise lightly at the southern end, without ruling out that it also happens at the eastern end of the Cantabrian, according to the AEMET. Temperatures are expected to exceed 36 or 39 degrees, and in some points of the Guadalquivir they can reach 44 degrees. The agency adds that, given a probable formation of generalized evening storms, the maximum prognosis has a high uncertainty.
The heat wave is spurring multiple fire spotlights throughout the peninsula. In Castilla y León, fires have been registered in the provinces of León -Ávila, Zamora and Palencia; In addition, there have been spotlights in Ourense (Galicia), Tarifa (Cádiz), Carcastillo (Navarra), San Bartolomé de Pinares (Ávila), Villanueva (Huelva), Navalmoralejo (Toledo) and Alcoy (Alicante).
Worse air quality
This is due to the increase in pollution levels by tropospheric ozone, which occurs when two circumstances are given simultaneously: “Nitrogen oxides emissions – fundamentally caused by cars – and a high ultraviolet radiation,” explains Miguel Ángel Ceballos, spokesperson for the air quality of ecologists in action.
When the average ozone level in the air exceeds 180 micrograms per cubic meter for an hour, it is a “very high pollution level,” says Ceballos. In the Community of Madrid, for example, the threshold has been exceeded 15 times since it began August. This is a value that practically doubles what is recommended by the World Health Organization. Therefore, from Ecologists in Action they have claimed to the authorities that they adopt urgent measures for the limitation of urban and metropolitan traffic, with the aim of mitigating the impact. This phenomenon also happens in “the entire center and south of Spain,” says the specialist.
Some of the effects that ozone can have are the irritation of eyes and upper respiratory tract, the aggravation of cardiovascular pathologies, the reduction of pulmonary function, an increase in the risk of respiratory diseases. The consequences also affect plants and reduce their productivity.
In the Canary Islands, the Ministry of Health warned Monday for air quality. The problem there is the combination of extreme heat with the presence of Calima. The health authority, according to Europa Press, said this as a “negative synergy” about the health of people, being able to cause chest discomfort, cough, palpitations, fatigue or the increase in susceptibility to respiratory infections. The health authority recommended to the population – especially children, elders and people with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular diseases – maintain closed windows and avoid prolonged exposure and physical efforts abroad.
