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EXTREME WEATHER

Spanish heatwave kills 43 people in two days

Temperatures topping 45C have claimed 43 lives in a matter of days during Spain's scorching 'ola de calor' heatwave.

Published: 15 July 2022 10:24 CEST
Spanish heatwave kills 43 people in two days
An advertising board shows 47C in Seville on August 13, 2021. Photo: CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP

Scorching temperatures spreading across Spain have killed 43 people in just two days, according to data from the Carlos III Health Institute, part of the Ministry of Health. 

It estimates that there were 43 deaths due to the heat recorded in the first two days of the heat wave – Sunday, July 10th and Monday, July 11th – that has seen temperatures climb to as high as 45C in parts of southern Spain.

The institute does not yet have data on the days since, but records between July 1st and 11th show an excess of 2,226 deaths in total, with 70 due to temperatures.

READ ALSO: 45C: Spain braces for ‘infernal’ temperatures on Wednesday

Thursday 14th was the “worst day” of the heat wave so far and the rest of the week saw temperatures above 40C across of the country, a spokesman for Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), Cayetano Torres, said yesterday.

“Today we have reached the peak of the wave,” he said, pointing to temperatures of 44C in rural Seville, 45C in the Guadiana plain, and 42C in Madrid.

On Wednesday, temperatures in Almonte, Huelva, peaked at 45.7C, followed by Olivenza, in Badajoz, with 45.5C, and Morón de la Frontera, Seville province, where the mercury rose to 45.2C. In Seville capital, thermometers showed unofficial temperatures of 47C.

Wit the exception of the Canary Islands, all regions remain on ‘high alert’ due to the heat, with Andalusia, Galicia, in the north, and Extremadura on ‘red notice’ (extreme risk) for temperatures between 42C and 45C.

Aragon, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Castilla La Mancha, Madrid, Navarra, Basque Country and La Rioja are all on an orange warning level (temperatures reaching 40C), and yellow alert, low-risk regions (temperates between 34-39C) include Asturias, Cantabria, the Balearic Islands, Valencia and Murcia.

The Canaries are not suffering such suffocating temperatures and remain without an alert level for now.

Heat dome

Meteorologists believe that a “heat dome” could be causing Spain’s heatwave and has pushed temperatures up in recent days. A heat dome effectively behaves as a cover that traps high temperatures in a given territory, causing them to rise over time.

The heat dome phenomenon occurs when high pressure in an area prevents hot air from escaping, and it is instead trapped as if it were in a dome. According to Scientific American, “a heat dome occurs when a persistent region of high pressure traps heat over an area.

The heat dome can stretch over several [regions] and linger for days to weeks, leaving the people, crops and animals below to suffer through stagnant, hot air that can feel like an oven.”

READ ALSO: What is the ‘heat dome’ phenomenon causing Spain’s scorching heatwave?

Temperatures are forecast to remain above 40C over the weekend, with a drop in temperatures finally due to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Droughts threaten Spain’s iconic jamón ibérico

Climate change is threatening the production of one of Spain's most famous gastronomical delights - its much-loved cured ham.

Published: 2 February 2023 15:10 CET
Droughts threaten Spain's iconic jamón ibérico

Every year around 6 million cured pigs’ legs are sold in Spain, according to the country’s Association of Iberian Pigs (Asici). Jamón, whether as a tapas dish or proudly displayed as a full leg in someone’s kitchen over Christmas, is about as Spanish as it gets.

Along with tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette) and paella, it is probably the most iconic food offered by Spanish gastronomy. 

READ ALSO: The ultimate guide to buying a leg of ‘jamón’ in Spain at Christmas

But Spain’s world-renowned jamón ibérico is facing increasingly tough market conditions and now the iconic Spanish cured ham could be under threat from droughts.

In the summer of 2022, Spain was scorched by record temperatures and its reservoirs were drained. Though the water levels of Spanish reservoirs began to refill during the rainier winter months, and are already at 50.9 percent of their capacity, according to the latest data, climate change makes it likely that Spain will suffer high heat and droughts more frequently during its summers – something that could have a big impact on the jamón industry.

Know your jamones

An important point on jamón you’ll usually find either jamón serrano or ibérico, with the latter being considered of a higher standard and taste, as it’s from a Spanish breed of cerdo ibérico (Iberian pig) which eat only acorns that are rich in oleic acid (a healthy fat) and the process by which the meat is cured is more artisanal.

And acorns are where the problem comes in.

Put simply, droughts are shrinking the areas where pigs graze and reducing the number of acorns, which in turn reduces the weight of the pigs. When combined with all the other various external economic pressures, the jamón business is quickly becoming unprofitable

“The pigs lack weight and it restricts us quite a lot,” Rodrigo Cárdeno, from Explotaciones Agropecuarias Cárdeno, told Spanish news outlet RTVE. “We are talking about an animal that should be 90kg going into October and leave in January at around 150 kilos.”

READ MORE: How drought is threatening Spain’s ‘green gold’ harvest

In certain parts of Spain, farmers have been forced to increase their grazing land to be able to maintain the slaughter this season, which can often be around 3,000 acorn-fed pigs per season.

Some farms, however, have not been able to do this and have had to reduce the number of pigs as a result.

Both options hit profitability, in addition to the broader pressures on production and energy costs felt by all sectors.

“We are heading towards the ruin of the sector, expenses have equalled income and it is a disaster,” Emilio Muñoz, manager of Ilunion Ibéricos de Arzuaga, in Grandada, explained to RTVE.

As a result, experts estimate that 20 percent fewer acorn-fed pigs will be slaughtered this season than last.

Price rises

It is likely the shortage will have an impact on the price of jamón ibérico moving forward. 

“This means that in four years’ time, when these acorn-fed pigs reach the market, there will be less available and it will be a scarcer product,” Alfredo Subietas, general manager of Ilunion Ibéricos Arzuaga, told the news channel.

This is a price increase that will be passed onto consumers, so if you want to enjoy the best jamón ibérico in the future, you’ll likely have to pay even more.

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