The length of summer in Spain has increased from 90 days to 145 in the last 50 years
The average temperature in Spain has increased by 3.54°C as the country swelters through more heatwaves than ever
Over the last 50 years, the number of summer days in Spain has risen from 90 to 145, according to a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), which has confirmed that daytime heatwaves have increased almost sevenfold in this same period.
Tropical nights, where the temperature doesn’t dip below 20ºC, making it next to impossible to sleep, have also multiplied eleven times in the past few decades.
Summer arrived exceptionally early last year and hung on for months, bringing a succession of heatwaves that shrivelled crops and led to water restrictions up and down the country. It’s no surprise then that 2022 was the second-warmest year on record in Europe, with the mercury climbing 0.9°C higher than normal, and the hottest of all time in Spain.
This trend is nothing new in Spain, where the thermometers have jumped by 3.54°C between 1971 and 2022.
The deadly consequences
Taking data from 21 different meteorological stations across the country, researchers have uncovered the deadly side of heatwaves. In 2022 alone, Spain registered 22,249 extra deaths compared to the expected mortality rate, a staggering 4,732 of which were directly related to the high temperatures.
According to the experts, for a warm spell to be considered a heatwave, the temperatures must remain 5% higher than the maximum temperatures usually experienced in July and August for three or more days.
Image: Archive
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