Spain records 30C temperatures in November as southern Europe sees ‘exceptionally hot’ weather

UK’s Met Office points out sharply contrasting weather in different parts of continent

Spain has recorded unprecedented 30 degrees Celsius temperatures in the month of November in what experts have dubbed as a manifestation of the climate crisis.

The UK’s Met Office pointed out sharply contrasting weather in the continent for this time of the season. It said people in southern Europe face an “exceptionally hot” month, while those in the far north are shivering due to the early onset of “very cold” weather.

Spain has registered 30C temperatures while the mercury in parts of Scandinavia has dipped to -32.5C. This marks an unprecedented 65-degree temperature difference between southern and northern Europe.

Large parts of southern Spain have seen temperatures close to or over 30C this November. Temperatures there at this time are usually around 15-20C.

Record temperatures in the country were witnessed in Axarquia on Sunday. Rincon de la Victoria and Velez-Malaga reeled under temperatures of 32.2C and 30.9C respectively, according to records kept by the country’s meteorological agency Aemet.

On Tuesday, Coín city in Southern Spain’s Malaga province provisionally recorded the highest November temperature at 33.2C, according to the Met Office.

The unusual November temperatures in Spain come after October was found to be the warmest since records began, according to the agency, which said nearly 40 per cent of its weather stations recorded maximum temperatures above 32C.

In a major contrast, Scandinavia has recorded colder-than-usual temperatures for November. In Sweden’s Nikkaluokta, a chilling -32.5C temperature was registered on Tuesday.

Temperatures there usually hover around the 0C mark at this time.

“From northern Sweden to southern Spain, a 65C difference between the highest and lowest temperature in Europe today. Truly remarkable,” said Nahel Belgherze, a researcher at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, on X.

“In most of the Iberian Peninsula, temperatures on 1 October were between seven and 14 degrees above normal for this time of the year,” said Aemet spokesperson Ruben Del Campo.

“The footprint of climate change is manifested in the fact that such warm spells are now much more frequent and more intense,” Mr Del Campo told state broadcaster TVE.

Forecasters have been warning that summers in Spain are not just getting more extreme, but longer.

This year, Spain has experienced summer with four heatwaves spread out over 24 days. This was a part of the deadly heatwaves recorded around the world, something scientists found to be a direct result of the worsening climate crisis caused by burning fossil fuels.

Weather experts have also attributed an anticyclonic front for the unusual heat. It is set to remain in place for a few more days.