Spain breaks yet another temperature record with the hottest November ever
Last month was the warmest November of all time in Spain, on average 3ºC hotter than normal
Last month has just been crowned the warmest November on record in Spain, with temperatures soaring a whopping 3°C above average.
This marks a new milestone in the country's climate history, with the average temperature reaching a balmy 12.4°C, a staggering 2.8°C above the norm. This sizzling news won’t come as much of a surprise for most, however, as the country has been smashing its own heat records month after month all year.
According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), the month's very unexpected heatwave has left all prior Novembers in the shade, including the previous record holder, 1983.
And it's not just the temperature that's been making headlines - rainfall has been extremely scarce too, with a mere 50% of the usual amount falling during the month. This is particularly jarring news given the downpours and devastating flooding brought by the DANA.
“We do not yet have the final data, but rainfall will probably be around half of normal for this month, which is traditionally the rainiest of the year along with October,” said Aemet spokesman Rubén del Campo, in a meteorological report for last month.
“November 2024 has been an extremely hot and very dry month and the transition from November to December has also been very warm with temperatures reaching 32ºC in La Aldea de San Nicolás in Gran Canaria and 29ºC in Coín, province of Málaga, on Saturday the 30th.
“That day, temperatures also reached 24ºC at Bilbao airport and on Sunday the 1st, temperatures reached 23ºC at San Sebastián airport and also in parts of the southern peninsula”, Mr del Campo added.
This week, the first full week of December, promises a slight drop in temperatures, with a “cooler” atmosphere on the horizon. But don't get too comfortable - temperatures will still be within the normal range for the time of year, or even slightly milder, according to Mr del Campo.
‘Cooler’ is a relative term, it seems, as temperatures are still expected to rise mid-week. And as for rainfall, it's looking scarce, except in the extreme north of the country and parts of the Balearic Islands.
So, when can we expect the winter weather to kick in? According to the meteorologist, it's not until next weekend or the beginning of the following week that we can expect a truly wintry atmosphere.
“Perhaps” around those dates, “there could be a new drop in temperature, which would lead us to a full winter atmosphere, but this will have to be confirmed in future forecasts,” he said.
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Image: Fanny S Forsdik via Wikimedia Commons
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