The prolonged and unprecedented heatwave that has gripped the Canary Islands for the past ten days is finally expected to come to an end, according to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). This extraordinary episode of weather, which has shattered records for October, is set to conclude with the arrival of an Atlantic squall, bringing cooler temperatures and much-needed rain.
A spokesperson for AEMET, Rubén del Campo, described the ongoing heatwave as an anomaly for this time of year, marking it as a historic event with no precedent in over 50 years. Relief is anticipated to begin this Friday as the Atlantic squall moves into the region, resulting in a noticeable drop in temperatures, particularly from Saturday onwards, and widespread rainfall across the Canary Islands, when the heatwave is expected to gradually subside.
Del Campo highlighted several record-breaking temperatures during this heatwave, including a scorching 37.6°C recorded at Cordoba Airport (mainland Spain), the highest temperature for October in recorded history. Additional records were shattered in El Hierro Airport, Galicia, and parts of the province of Huelva, further emphasizing the intensity of this prolonged heatwave across all of Spain.
This unusual heatwave, which began on September 29th, has broken records for ten consecutive days, with each day setting a new record as the warmest for that specific date since at least 1950. In an unusual turn of events for 2023, the year has seen a total of 30 record-warm days and no record-cold days, deviating from the typical pattern of both types of records occurring within a year.
Throughout this period, minimal rainfall has been reported across the country, and this dry pattern is expected to persist until at least Friday of this week, with temperatures remaining significantly above normal for the time of year.
