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With two heatwaves already under its belt and a third seemingly just around the corner, this Alicante summer is shaping up to be a scorcher like no other. So far, the two-month period between June and July is the hottest ever on record, beating out even the sweltering summer of 2003 by an astonishing 30%.

 

July alone was the second-warmest since at least 1950, with the thermometers registering an average of 25.9ºC – that’s 1.9ºC above the usual temperatures. This record was actually made in the last three weeks, since the weather at the start of the month was a bit hit and miss.

 

The hottest day in Alicante province was July 25, when the mercury shot up to 44.9ºC in Orihuela, 44.5 in Elche, 43.5 in Petrer and Novelda and 43.0 in Monòver. At Alicante/Elche airport the maximum was 42.4ºC, which is the highest value seen in this observatory since records began in 1967.

 

There was little let up after the sun went down either; most of Alicante experienced sultry nights, particularly from July 26 onwards, when much of the coast registered temperatures above 25ºC.

 

Extreme heatwaves such as this one cause a multitude of problems; communities throughout Spain are still battling to bring wildfires under control, which are exacerbated by the lack of rain, and this drought has also spread to Alicante.

 

In fact, the Valencian Community has seen 20% less rainfall than would be expected at this time of year with Alicante faring the worst, clocking a deficit of 60%.

 

Meteorologists are predicting at least one more heatwave this summer, with the hottest day of the year forecast before the week is out.

 

Image: Aemet