We still have more than a month to go before summer starts. Sun, sand, beach, swimming pool, staying up until the early hours of the morning to talk about anything and everything with your friends, going on holiday to the other side of the continent or stargazing in a park. For many, these are great prospects.
But not all the news is positive: this meteorological summer, which includes the months of June, July and August, will be hotter and drier than usual in almost all of Spain. That is the prediction of the European climate change service Copernicus. This high probability of a hotter summer than usual also applies to the rest of southern Europe and North Africa, according to Rubén del Campo, spokesman for the Spanish weather service Aemet.
High risk of heat
“There is a very high probability, between 70% and 100%, that the summer will be warmer than usual throughout Spain,” Rubén del Campo warned. In addition, he has reiterated on several occasions that it is “very likely” that this summer in Spain will be among the 20% of the warmest on record. The probability of this happening is between 50% and 70%, according to his predictions. If Copernicus forecasts come true, the summer of 2024 will continue the trend of hot, very hot or extremely hot summers of the last decade, with the exception of 2018 and 2021, with temperatures around average.
Precipitation forecast
The Copernicus forecast shows that there is a good chance that there will also be less precipitation than normal this summer. However, there will be occasional thunderstorms that are “more or less locally” intense. This news has more negative than positive aspects. Spain has been struggling with severe drought for some time now.
Also read: Catalonia eases drought measures: What is and is not allowed?
When does summer start?
Summer begins on June 20 this year, coinciding with the solstice, according to data from the National Astronomical Observatory. At 10.51 pm, peninsula time, the Earth will be at the point in its orbit where the Sun has its maximum declination to the north.
This event not only ushers in the summer season, but is also the day with the most daylight hours of the year. For about 93 days and 16 hours, the Northern Hemisphere will enjoy longer days and shorter nights, which will lead to a gradual rise in temperatures.