During the first half of October, an unprecedented and extensive heatwave gripped the Canary Islands, potentially marking the most prolonged heatwave in the region in the last six decades. This heatwave, the tenth in recorded history, is particularly remarkable for its extraordinary duration. Rubén del Campo, the spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), disclosed this information. He emphasized that on a national scale, this October experienced temperatures 4.8 degrees higher than the usual, surpassing the previous record set in 2017 when the average temperature was 3.3 degrees above the norm.
This October stands out as the warmest for this season since 1961, with the first two weeks of the month witnessing a total of 31 days with record-high temperatures and no cold days recorded. This phenomenon is a part of an “abnormally extraordinary” heat episode, with the heatwave in the Canary Islands drawing significant attention.
The Aemet spokesperson noted that in a climate without disturbances, one would typically expect around five record-warm days and five record-cold days per year. However, in the last decade, there have been 183 record-warm days and just seven record-cold days, indicating an evident trend towards warmer conditions.
As of October 9, 2023, this year has been ranked as the warmest in the historical records, closely followed by 2022. Despite the unusually warm weather early in October, a profound and intense squall is expected to reach the mainland on Thursday. This weather system will bring heavy rain and substantial accumulations to large parts of the country, particularly in the central and western regions, creating a stark contrast with the unusually warm weather that dominated the beginning of the month.
