Much of the Iberian Peninsula has experienced another brutal heat wave this week, poses health risks across the region.
In Spain, the first heat wave in August has already claimed its first casualty. The 85-year-old man died in Badajos on Monday in Heatstroke.
According to the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MOMO), the heatwave is one of the deadliest months of heat-related health problems in Spain, resulting in 1,060 deaths resulting from high temperatures in July.
This is an increase of 57% from a year ago, and a 54.5% increase compared to July 2023.
So far, this figure has resulted in 3,255 deaths due to high temperatures, well over the total of 2,534 last year. And summer is not over yet.
Currently, nine regions are wary of extreme temperatures expected to reach up to 42°C in regions such as Badajos and Jaen, and up to 38°C in Madrid.
Meanwhile, Barcelona, Malaga and Valencia remain particularly low at temperatures ranging from 30°C to 33°C.
When will the heat wave end?
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) is hoping that the heat wave will continue until at least the next Sunday. The public message said the unusually warm weather is expected to last Wednesday and Tuesday, with temperatures likely to rise even in parts of the country.
However, the outlook is more uncertain after Friday.
“Using current information, the most likely scenario is that temperatures will drop in the Cantabrian Sea on Friday but will rise again west of the peninsula, so this heatwave episode will continue until at least the next weekend,” the agency said.