MADRID – According to data collected by the national weather agency Aemet, there is something curious about the recent heatwave in Spain. The climatic phenomenon mainly occurs in the early morning before sunrise.
In the first days of August, a month normally characterised by warm temperatures, cold mornings have been experienced. This is in sharp contrast to the expected heatwaves. The weather in the mornings has been surprisingly cold in several regions of Spain with temperatures dropping below 5ºC in higher elevations. Frost phenomena have even been registered in certain places.
Temperatures up to 7ºC lower than expected
This unusual cold for this time of year has resulted in temperatures as much as 7°C lower than expected, placing them among the 5% of the coldest ever recorded during this period in the north and east of the country.
Canary Islands
However, the situation was different in the Canary Islands. Temperatures were slightly above normal on the westernmost islands. Meanwhile they remained around average on the eastern islands and slightly cooler on the central islands.
Isolated incident
Despite this, this cold snap was only an isolated incident, not a general trend in this summer’s climate. During the months of June and July, minimum temperatures in Spain were actually warmer than normal. This means that nights and early mornings, which could typically experience significant drops in temperature, were milder and less cold than would be historically expected during these months.
Despite the marked drop in temperatures in the early mornings, Aemet has confirmed that another heatwave is on its way. This time, with more typical summer conditions at night as well. Temperatures will be between 5 and 10 °C above their normal values, reflecting a recovery and a remarkable contrast to the cold mornings of recent days.
