Weather
“Suffocating” heat: up to 44 degrees in Spain
A woman drinks from a drinking fountain in Madrid. The Aemet weather service has also declared the highest heat alert level red for the Spanish capital. photo
© Paul White/AP/dpa
While the summer seems to be taking a break in this country, Spain is groaning again under a heat wave. For several regions, including Madrid, the weather service is calling out the highest heat alert level.
The peak of the fourth heat wave of this summer has Spain with temperatures of up to 44 degrees made locals and tourists sweat and groan again.
The TV channel RTVE spoke of a “suffocating” heat, while the newspaper “El Mundo” headlined: “The neurons melt like butter”. For the entire territory or large parts of the regions of Andalusia, Castile and León, Madrid and Castile-La Mancha and even in the otherwise relatively cool Basque Country in the north of the country, the Aemet weather service declared the highest heat alert level red.
Deserted streets in Madrid
In Madrid, where just under 40 degrees were measured shortly before 7 p.m., many streets were deserted in the afternoon. The media reported that the well-cooled shopping centers and public swimming pools were already full in the early morning. A lot of “Madrileños” turn their backs on their city in August anyway.
Meanwhile, Aemet had bad news ready: Contrary to the original forecast, the current heat wave will not end on Thursday, but will last at least until Friday.
Until then, the alert levels red, orange or yellow will apply in many regions of the country. The German holiday stronghold Mallorca with the famous Ballermann is spared this time with maximum temperatures of just over 30 degrees from the heat wave and alarm.
Forest fire risk warning
The weather service had warned of an increased risk of forest fires in Spain this week against the background of the drought and also because of strong winds. However, there were no fires worth mentioning for the time being.
In neighboring Portugal, most of the many fires that have kept the fire brigade busy there since Friday have now been largely brought under control. The flames were most devastating in Odemira in the southwest of the country. Since Friday, they have destroyed around 8,400 hectares of nature, as reported by the TV station RTP, citing the authorities. This corresponds to the area of almost 12,000 football pitches.