The extraordinary heatwaves that have hit Spain so far in April have shattered several temperature records, even in locations with more than a century of meteorological data. The northern part of mainland Spain was particularly vulnerable to this extreme heat, with several provinces setting new record highs for April, for both maximum and minimum temperatures.
Many places in Spain experience exceptionally high temperatures at this time of year. The highest temperature so far was recorded by the Spanish meteorological service AEMET on Tenerife With 38.3 degrees. It was very warm on Saturday and Sunday as well during the short (unofficial) heat wave.
The highest temperatures were recorded on Saturday Canary Islands With 34.6 degrees on Tenerife34.4 degrees Gran CanariaBut also 33.6 garden Burgos (Castile and Leon)33.2 degrees Ourense (Galicia) And 33 degrees Torla-Ordesa (Huesca), High in the Spanish Pyrenees. The weather remained exceptionally warm on Sunday Canary Islands The high was 34.9 degrees, and the mercury also rose to 32.6 degrees in the south of the governorate Tarragona (Catalonia).
on Monday It was not much different from previous days, as the highest temperature reached 34.3 degrees Gran Canaria And 33 degrees on Tenerife. in Currency (Malaga) However, it also became quite warm at 32.9 degrees, 31.2 degrees Alora (Málaga) And Seville. In the Valencia region, the mercury did not exceed 30.3 degrees Valencia Province And 30 degrees in Province of Alicante. On the Balearic Islands Temperatures remained below 30 degrees, and in Catalonia the mercury did not exceed 31 degrees Tortosa (Tarragona).
Temperature records
In the The first half of April The northern coastal region was severely hit by a notable heat wave. in Gijon (Asturias) The maximum temperature reached more than 28 degrees on April 5, which is the highest for the month of April since measurements in 1984. Santander (Cantabria) A minimum temperature of 19.9 degrees was measured on the same day, more than 3.4 degrees higher than the previous record of 16.5 degrees on April 2, 2018. Bilbao (Basque Country) It was its first “tropical night” in April, with the minimum temperature above 20 degrees, the first since measurements began in 1949.
Coastal Cantabria was not the only region affected by the extreme heat in April. Record temperatures were also recorded in the interior regions, as in Salamanca (Castile and Leon) With a record minimum temperature of 17.2 degrees, Guadalajara (Castilla-La Mancha) With 14.6 degrees f Teruel (Aragon) With 12.8 degrees.
The April 2024 record temperatures were even more interesting because they occurred at locations with a very long measurement series. Weather station of the Spanish weather service AEMET Madrid It has been around since 1920 and set a new record maximum temperature of 31.2 degrees on April 25. in BarcelonaMeasurements by the Spanish National Institute date back to 1924, when a new highest minimum temperature for April was recorded at 21.3 degrees. Other old stations reporting record temperatures included Seville, Valencia and Zaragoza.
Also on Canary Islands Countless records have fallen. Data like that Tenerife North – Airport Stand out, who broke the height minimum with 22.4 yards. This station has data since 1941. Regarding maximum temperatures, it is worth checking the station Tenerife South – Airport To highlight, which recorded 38.3 degrees.
AEMET measuring stations
Only weather stations of the Meteorological Agency (AEMET) are allowed to measure official temperatures in Spain. At more than 800 meteorological stations in Spain, air temperature is measured in accordance with international agreements. This is done in degrees Celsius at an altitude of one and a half meters above an open (grassy) plain. The thermometer or sensor is housed in a white box (garitas meteorológicas in Spanish) with walls shaped like an open Venetian blind. This gives the wind freedom to move, but the sun and precipitation cannot penetrate the instruments.
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