Temperatures hit an all-time record high of 47C in the sunny Spanish city of Valencia this week causing locals and tourists to bake in the sweltering heat.
The national meteorological agency said the country had been suffering its third intense heatwave of the summer which started on Monday, August 7. Eight zones across the cities of Valencia and Murcia are on red alert which means there are warnings of extreme risk due to the heat.
Posting on their social media account, the Spanish meteorological agency, Aemet, broke the news of the new weather record set on August 10. It said: “Valencia airport reached 46.8C, which is 3.4C higher than the previous record, set in 1986”.
For residents, they are struggling with the intense heat in their homes and the humidity, as reported by local media. Nazim Ali who lives in Valencia on the Mediterranean coast told AFPTV: “This summer has been horrible.. we can’t live in our flats.”
Roberto Giménez also said it’s made living conditions miserable: “At night, we turn on the air conditioning or the fan. During the day, we try to leave as late as possible (…) and we go to the beach.”
City councils in the Valencian community have put emergency measures in place to cope with the heat, with some areas allowing free access to swimming pools. Some emergency shelters for homeless people are being set up until capacity is reached, and is expected to be full.
The Red Cross is also setting up the Social Emergency Centre in Santa Cruz de Tenerife Street for the homeless, to support the most vulnerable in the harsh, heated climate.
Weather agencies warn the peak heat each day is between 1pm and 9pm. The south of Valencia could reach 44C in the next few days and may occasionally hit 45C, with the southern coast reaching a slightly cooler, 43C.
In terms of the heat record set this week, agencies say it is by far, the maximum temperature recorded since records began in 1966.
Last month, Spain suffered from the Cerberus heatwave, where many regions of the country experienced temperatures of up to 45C.
