Iberian heat: April records fall as Spain heads for 100F

April records in Spain are beginning to fall. As temperatures rise into the 30s Celsius and heat across southern Iberia continues to intensify, local records are being passed. AEMET, the Spanish Met. Service has highlighted 38C for Cordoba and Seville with heat advisories on Thursday. Exceeding that value at this time of year would be “something absolutely unusual, very outstanding.”

Seville has already seen 33C, Madrid’s April record is 30.1C and forecast to see 31 even 32 by Friday. Jerez Airport in the south looks to have exceeded its monthly record too. They are toppling and there are more days of heat to come. This is more like a summer setup and around 10 degrees warmer than usual.

Of course, southern Spain can get much hotter. In the summer months, temperatures pass 40C with records in the mid 40s Celsius, yet this is early for such heat.

A plume of hot, dry air will continue to feed over southern Spain from northern Africa. With high pressure nearby there are clear skies, light winds and plenty of sunshine. This process just continues through Thursday and probably Friday with a shift at the weekend. Saharan dust will accompany the heat, you can already see the suspended sand on the NASA WorldVIew image.

Malaga Airport already beat its April record on the 10th of this month, reaching 33.7C. The previous record was from 33.1C from last April.  This latest pulse of heat started on Sunday 23rd and looks to peak on either Thursday 27th or Friday 28th. There is stable air under the high pressure, strong sunshine, a hot dry air mass from the south, from Africa. Each day is seeing an increase in the maximum temperatures as the heat builds in a situation more like summer. It will also be hot by night, adding to the situation.

Although locals will be used to much higher temperatures than this, it will be an unseasonal shock of tourists who would hope to visit in more comfortable conditions. The start of the day will be comfortable but there is a sharp increase in the heat through the morning It also adds to ongoing problems for agriculture and the infrastructure. There are water shortages and a high risk of wildfires already.

The highest temperatures in continental Europe are in the mid-40s Celsius. There is the long-standing verified 48.0C in Athens from July 1977, a reported but unofficial 48.8°C in Sicily, Italy from August 2021 and 47.3C in Cordoba, Spain from 2003.

Météo-France verified a national temperature record of 46°C in June 2019. It was the first time in modern French history that 45°C has been exceeded. Several observing stations broke the previous national heat record of 44.1°C set during the deadly August 2003 heatwave.  The UK saw 40.3C last July, which was the highest ever recorded.

Very Extreme Danger: West of Valencia & in areas of the CastillaLaMancha region - Copernicus

Heat events kill thousands of people every year, from heat stroke, dehydration, or related to pre-existing conditions where the extra heat puts excess strain on people’s bodies. Or stresses them past what they are medicated to cope with. Heat can also trigger secondary events such as wildfires, power supply failures and pollution events, especially in urban areas.

Portugal including the Algarve will see temperatures reach 30C, inland just into the low 30sC. For Spain, Andalusia could pass 38C as many areas see 30+C this week. It is a hot end to April 2023.

This may not be pushing at the top limits of high temperatures in southern Europe but it still is an extreme event for the time of year. Set against our warming climate, when these events are more likely, it could be seen as another warning bell. The forecast pressure charts show a cold front moving eastwards across Iberia on Saturday. It fades but should ease this intense heat episode during the weekend.

AEMET is the Spanish Met. Service, Spain thread in the community forum. IPMA the Portuguese Met Agency, Portugal thread