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‘More than 500 died’ during Spain’s heatwave: PM

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed Wednesday that "more than 500 people" died during a 10-day heatwave in Spain, one of the most intense ever recorded in the country.

Published: 20 July 2022 17:28 CEST

heatwave spain deaths

Only two other heatwaves in Spain have lasted longer - one in July 2015 that lasted 26 days and another in August 2003 that went on for 16 days.(Photo by FRED DUFOUR / AFP)

Sánchez cited figures released Monday from the Carlos III Health Institute which estimates the number of heat-related deaths based on the number of excess deaths when compared to the average in previous years.

The institute has stressed that these figures are a statistical estimate and not a record of official deaths.

“During this heatwave, more than 500 people died because of such high temperatures, according to the statistics,” Sánchez said.

READ MORE: Why have so many died during this heatwave in Spain?

“I ask citizens to exercise extreme caution,” he said, noting that the “climate emergency is a reality”.

Spain was gripped by a heatwave affecting much of Western Europe which pushed temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions last week, sparking dozens of wildfires.

MAP: Where are Spain’s wildfires raging?

The blazes forced the evacuation of thousands of people and claimed at least two lives — that of a firefighter and a shepherd who got caught up in the flames in northwest Spain.

The July 9th-18th heatwave was one of the most intense ever recorded in Spain, meteorological agency AEMET said Wednesday.

“At a minimum, it is the third most intense heatwave in terms of its geographic extension and duration” since modern records began in 1975, AEMET spokeswoman Beatriz Hervella said.

Only two other heatwaves lasted longer – one in July 2015 that lasted 26 days and another in August 2003 that went on for 16 days, she added.

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Will this summer in Spain be as hot as the previous two?

2023 was in fact the second-hottest summer Spain had ever experienced – the hottest being just one year earlier in 2022.

During that year, 11,300 people died in Spain alone due to the abnormally high temperatures, marine life perished in the warming seas and even train tracks warped and became deformed.

All eyes are looking toward this summer to see what will happen and if it will be as roasting as the previous two.

READ ALSO:

According to the climate service Copernicus-EU, above-normal temperatures are predicted across southern Europe this summer.

And in Spain, there is a 50-70 percent chance that this summer will be one of the hottest 20 percent on record, and it will properly begin in June.

According to Spain’s State Meteorological Agency AEMET, we have already seen an abnormal rise this May.

Its quarterly prediction, which will take us up to the end of July (typically the hottest part of the summer here in Spain), states that it will almost certainly be warmer than usual on the Mediterranean side of the country, as well as the Balearic and Canary Islands.

Copernicus agrees with these predictions and has indicated that it’s very likely to be hotter than normal in certain areas of the country. It particularly singled out the Valencia region, Murcia (except the south), northern Almería and Granada, Ibiza and Formentera and the western Canary Islands.

It’s getting more and more difficult to know exactly what ‘above normal’ temperatures are, considering what Spain has experienced the last few years, but the reference period that many experts are basing their predictions on is from 1991-2020.

When it comes to rainfall, Copernicus has forecast that the “most likely scenario is a summer with less rain” than usual.

AEMET agreed with the prediction, stating on its X account that “most likely rainfall will be less throughout the country than what is already normally scarce in the summer season”.

Para este próximo verano, lo más probable es que las lluvias sean inferiores en todo el país a las ya de por sí normalmente escasas en la estación estival. pic.twitter.com/YEasMQwzyc

— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) May 12, 2024

This is bad news for many parts of Spain, such as Catalonia, Andalusia and the Canary Islands, which have already been experiencing an ongoing drought over the past two years.

Luckily, spring rains have managed to fill reservoirs just enough to see us through the summer at this point, but more rain will definitely be needed come autumn.

READ ALSO: Will drought restrictions affect summer holidays in Spain?

While scientists agree the sizzling temperatures experienced over the past few summers are down to climate change, last year in 2023, the cyclical phenomenon known as El Niño also had a part to play in global weather patterns.

When the seas become cooler on average and it has a cooling effect on the planet, this is partly down to the effect of La Niña.

This year is supposed to be dominated by La Niña and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US, La Niña has a 49 percent chance of developing between June and August and a 69 percent chance between July and September.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that this summer will be cooler than last year.

As of May 16th 2024, we’re undergoing a neutral period known as El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

Despite the global cooling effect of La Niña in 2022, it was still the planet’s sixth hottest year and the hottest in Spain ever recorded.

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