Spain suffers the peak of the heat wave, fires give Portugal respite

With possible heat records in Spain and thousands of hectares burned in Portugalthe Iberian Peninsula, on the front line of the global warming in Europe, is on alert this Wednesday.

This heat wave, the third of the summer, will reach its peak in Spain on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 44ºC in some places, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), which announced that the heat wave will probably end on Friday, and not Thursday as initially planned.

“The average temperature” in Spain this Wednesday “It will probably be a record for that date since 1950. It will probably be one of the five warmest days for August in the last 73 years”explained the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

Eleven areas of Spain are on red alert, synonymous with extreme danger: three in Andalusia (south), two in the Community of Madrid, two in Castilla-La Mancha (center), three in the Basque Country (north) and one in Castilla and León (north).

Almost all the rest of the country, except for the coast, is on alert, but at lower levels.

Experts consider that the increase in the number, duration and intensity of these heat waves is a consequence of climate change.

In Portugal, the heat and wind favored the spread of fires that decimated more than 15,000 hectares in recent days.

The fire in the Odemira region (south), which has already destroyed almost 10,000 hectares, according to the latest civil protection data, continues to advance for the fifth consecutive day, mobilizing almost 1,100 firefighters supported by 11 planes, according to the National Protection Authority Civil. About 1,500 people have been evacuated.

However, firefighters hope that the situation will improve on Wednesday thanks to better weather conditions. The forecast is for higher humidity and lower temperatures, especially on the coast, where temperatures are expected to drop below 30°C again.

Meanwhile, dozens of Spanish firefighters continue to fight the flames in Extremadura (southwest), a border region with Portugal, with the help of more than a dozen planes.

The regional government indicated that the evolution of the fire, declared on Monday in the municipality of Valencia de Alcántara, was “favorable” on Wednesday morning.

A first estimate puts the affected hectares at 350, making it the third largest fire in recent days in Spain, after the one that burned 573 hectares in Portbou, in Catalonia (northeast), and another that affected 450 hectares near Bonares, in Andalusia (south).

Source: AFP