Spain Records Hottest May Day Ever Amid Heatwave

Friday marked the hottest day ever recorded in May across Spain, with an average temperature surpassing 24 degrees Celsius nationwide, according to Spain’s meteorological agency (Aemet), announced on Monday. The agency noted that Friday, May 30th, was the warmest May day since record-keeping began in 1950, closely followed by Saturday, May 31st. Data from Aemet revealed that the average temperature for all of Friday reached 24.08 degrees Celsius, slightly higher than the previous record set on May 21, 2022, at 23.76 degrees Celsius. This heatwave, affecting the entire Iberian Peninsula until Sunday, resulted in a mean temperature of 23.91 degrees Celsius the following day. Temperatures soared above 40 degrees Celsius in cities like Seville, Huelva, and Cordoba in southern Andalusia. The intense heat stemmed from a mass of hot air originating from North Africa. Although not unprecedented, similar unusual May temperatures were observed in 2015 and 2022. Aemet representative Rubén del Campo remarked that this scenario reflects earlier and more frequent summer conditions despite spring not yet being over. In Spain, a European country heavily impacted by climate change, the past three years have been the hottest on record, marked by multiple heatwaves and record-breaking temperatures. Additionally, the recent winter was exceptionally mild, ranking as the second consecutive season without any cold spells, as highlighted by Aemet. Nine out of the last ten winters have been warmer than average.