Although the 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) morning highs in October in Spain may have cheered up tourists, they are raising concerns among conservationists.
Throughout large portions of Europe, from Spain to as far north as Sweden, the temperature has been rising far faster than usual.
A indication of rapid climate change, Europe is experiencing extreme temperatures even as October officially begins after a summer defined by frequent heatwaves throughout much of the continent.
increasing worry on Europe’s unusually warm weather
According to Ruben del Campo of Spain’s weather service Aemet, “the month hasn’t yet started, but we can already affirm practically without fear of dispute that it will be the hottest (in Spain) since 1961,” when records began to be compiled.
According to projected statistics from historical reconstructions, this past month will have been Spain’s warmest October in at least a century, he noted.
According to del Campo, “one or two days above 30 degrees is common” for Spain. “But no, not for so long. These are summertime temps, but autumn is already upon us.”
At 8:30 am (0630 GMT) on Friday, the northern resort of San Sebastian recorded a temperature of 30.3 Celsius, which is significantly higher than the seasonal norm.
Authorities have outlawed barbecues and pyrotechnics to reduce hazards in light of recent forest fire declarations in the Basque area, which includes San Sebastian.
The unseasonably warm weather has given rise to the Spanish word “verono,” which is a combination of verano (summer) and otono (autumn).
Del Campo concluded by pointing out that there has been a “notable acceleration” of climate change over the previous ten years, putting Spain at risk of escalating creeping desertification.
Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Zaragoza are among the top 10 European cities most impacted by global warming, according to the research tank Climate Central, based on information from the previous 12 months.
Similar to Spain, neighbouring France has experienced an unusually warm October. However, Sweden has also been scorching up north, setting a record high temperature of 19.5 degrees on Friday in the southern city of Kristianstad.
According to Erik Hojgard-Olsen, a meteorologist at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), this is the hottest temperature ever recorded in Sweden this late in the year.
Meteo France reported that temperatures in the southwest of France, where extensive forest fire damage occurred during multiple summer heatwaves, approached 30 degrees on Friday.
The maximum temperature anticipated for Belgium’s capital city, Brussels, was 24 Celsius, which is more than 10 degrees warmer than average for late October.
Londoners enjoyed a warm 20.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to the British Met Office, which is “closer to what we would generally expect at the end of August than the end of October.”
Germany has also benefited from a warm front moving up from the southwest of the continent, where temperatures have been more in line with the beginning of summer than the beginning of November.
The World Meteorological Organization tweeted on Friday, “Hard to believe it’s late October as significant portions of Europe (and North Africa) see extraordinary heat.”
Some people might perceive an advantage in being able to manage turning off the central heating for the time being or even taking a beach vacation when it’s not summer, according to Ruben del Campo.
But in reality, he added, “the repercussions are not favourable,” pointing out that low water levels in reservoirs were bad news for Spain, whose intensive agriculture is a significant source of the fruit and vegetables consumed in Europe.
In contrast to their seasonal average of 49.3 percent over the past 10 years, Spanish reservoir levels were only 31.8 percent full last week.
Both locals and visitors who were taking use of Barcelona’s beaches acknowledged that there was a drawback.
“We enjoy the heat, therefore we are quite grateful to have it. But it isn’t typical, “explained 43-year-old beauty therapist Alicia Pesquera.
“It naturally worries us. It should be raining or at least a little chilly right now, “said Fernando Raibas, a visitor from Galicia’s northern region.
