MADRID – August 2023 will go down as the hottest month on record in Spain, with not one, but two heatwaves covering more than half the month.
According to the monthly climate report from the Spanish weather service Aemet, the average temperature equalled that of the record year 2003. However, this year the peak temperatures were far exceeded.
The numbers
The average temperature over the Spanish mainland was 24.8 degrees Celsius. In several regions, including the southern part of the plateau and central and western Andalucia, conditions were even ‘extremely warm’. The average maximum temperature was the highest ever recorded, at 32.7 degrees. This is 0.2 degrees higher than in 2003 and 2.2 degrees above the general average. Minimum temperatures were also significantly higher than normal, exceeded only by the months of August in 2003 and 2022.
Also read: NASA warns of temperatures above 50 degrees in Spain
Two suffocating heatwaves
The first heatwave of August occurred between August 6 and 13, with temperatures reaching as high as 45 degrees in parts of Valencia and Andalucia. The second heatwave took place between August 18 and 25 and showed temperatures above 40 degrees in large parts of the Spanish interior and the Cantabrian region.
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands were also not spared. There were two separate heat episodes. The first was between August 10 and 14, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees. The second was slightly less intense and took place between August 20 and 24.
Precipitation
Remarkably, August was a very dry month on the continent with an average rainfall of just 10.1 litres per square metre, making it the seventh driest August since 1961.
Extremes in the Balearic and Canary Islands
In a remarkable twist, August was the third wettest month in the Balearic Islands since 1961, while in the Canary Islands, it was the eighth wettest month since the same year.