Spain sizzles in hottest September on record: Weather agency
Mainland Spain sizzled in its warmest September since records began in 1961, with exceptional heat effectively making it another summer month, national weather agency AEMET said on Friday.
Mainland Spain endured its warmest September on record, with temperatures soaring to an average of 22.5°C, a full 3.4°C above the 1991-2020 average, according to national weather agency AEMET. This exceptional heat effectively turned September into another summer month. For the first time, September temperatures topped the 1991-2020 average summer temperature of 22.1°C.
The record-breaking heat was triggered by a series of consecutive summer heatwaves, which climate scientists attribute to human-induced climate change. The country's all-time heat record for September was set on September 3, when a temperature of 45.7°C was recorded in the southwestern municipality of El Granado. AEMET issued a highest red heat alert for small areas in southern Andalusia, the first such warnings in September since the alerts began in 2007.
September 2023 was also extremely dry, with only 36% of the normal rainfall expected in the month, based on the 1991-2020 average. Extreme temperatures have been linked to tens of thousands of excess deaths across Europe, disrupting daily life and the economy through drought and low river levels.
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