We’re all feeling it and no real let up in the hot weather is on the near horizon and this summer weather pattern appears to be becoming more common.
The Balearic Met. office confirmed yesterday that, since 1975, a total of 17 heatwaves have hit the Balearics and eight of those have been over the past ten years.
Consecutive days
During the 80’s, the Balearics suffered from just two, four in the 90s and three between the years 2000 and 2009.
What is more, of the 17 heatwaves, ten were registered in August, five during July and two in June.
Apparently each autonomous region of Spain has its own different requisites for measuring heatwaves, but here in the Balearics, if the maximum temperatures are between 33 and 35ºC for more than three consecutive days, then we have a heatwave.
The four key weather stations are based at Palma airport, in sa Pobla and at the airports in Ibiza and Minorca.
During the most recent heatwave, the highest registered temperature was 40.7ºC in Montuiri. According to Maria Jose Guerrero, director of the Balearic Met. office.
Climate change
“What this data indicates is that not only are heatwaves are becoming more common, they are lasting longer.
“But, we still don’t have sufficient evidence to confirm that there is a direct relationship between climate change and the increase in the number of heatwaves, but quite clearly the weather is changing and becoming more extreme, both in the winter and during the summer,” she said yesterday.