Spain's Winter Heats Up... Approaching 30 Degrees Celsius

"Strong High Pressure Influence Over the Mediterranean Airspace"

Spain is experiencing an abnormal weather phenomenon in January, the middle of winter, with temperatures approaching 30 degrees Celsius.

A reservoir in Catalonia, Spain, dried up due to drought

According to the Spanish Meteorological Agency, on the 25th (local time), temperatures in the eastern Valencia region rose to 29.5 degrees Celsius, 28.5 degrees in the southeastern Murcia region, and 27.8 degrees near Malaga in southern Andalusia.

Rub?n del Campo, spokesperson for the Meteorological Agency, wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "At nearly half of the observation points, about 400 locations, temperatures reached or exceeded 20 degrees."

According to the Meteorological Agency, the nighttime temperature at a ski resort located 1900 meters above sea level in the Madrid region remained above 10 degrees.

Spokesperson del Campo said, "This is weather like mid to late June, in other words, summer-like weather."

In Spain, winter officially lasts from mid-December to mid-March.

David Corre, a researcher at the University of Valencia, explained to AFP news agency that this abnormal phenomenon is occurring in the middle of winter due to a strong high-pressure system situated over the Mediterranean.

Spain's abnormal winter temperatures have been ongoing since last month.

On the 12th of last month, the highest temperature in Malaga rose to 29.9 degrees, setting a record for the highest December temperature ever.

Spain's heatwave is worsening the situation by combining with drought.

In particular, in the northeastern Catalonia region, where almost no rain has fallen in the past three years, reservoir levels dropped to 17% of total capacity by mid-month.

Spanish authorities plan to declare a state of emergency and implement additional water consumption restrictions if reservoir levels fall below 16%.

Initially, they plan to reduce water consumption by lowering water pressure in households. In this region, daily water use per person is already limited to 200 liters, and if a state of emergency is declared, it will be reduced to 160 liters, according to radio station RTL.

French news outlet AFP reported that car washing, garden watering, and filling swimming pools will also be prohibited.

Currently, some cities in Catalonia are experiencing drinking water shortages and are receiving water supply via water trucks. Spanish authorities are also considering transporting water from other regions.