The effects of climate change keep getting worse. For the first time, the city of Alicante has had 105 tropical nights in a year. And it might even add more in the next few days because the province is having a summer week with highs above 30 degrees and lows that haven’t dropped below 20 degrees in many locations.
The night between Tuesday and Wednesday was very unusual because of the low temperatures. It was a tropical night because half of the stations in the Avamet network didn’t drop below 20 degrees Celsius. But in certain places, like Benidorm, it was almost an equatorial night, which is when the temperature stays above 25 degrees Celsius. The thermometer stopped at a low of 24.3 degrees Celsius.
The westerly winds have made these minimum temperatures especially high along the coast. The lowest temperature was 23.7 degrees in Villajoyosa and Alicante, 23.6 degrees in Teulada-Moraira, Altea, and Finestrat, 23.5 degrees in Javea, 23.3 degrees in Calpe, Ondara, El Campello, and Santa Pola, 23.1 degrees in Dénia and Pego, and 23 degrees in Gata de Gorgos. The Montaña region and parts of Medio and Alto Vinalopó are the only places that have been below 20 degrees.
Record
As this publication reported last month, Alicante city has seen more tropical nights in a year than ever before. The record was 97 in 2023. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) said on Wednesday, October 22nd, that there have already been 105, and that number is sure to go up throughout the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
And come Wednesday, the highs will be unusually high for this time of year, more like early summer. So, after highs of about 32 degrees on Tuesday in Vega Baja, Alicante, Elche, and Orihuela are anticipated to be 30 degrees, Dénia is expected to be 29 degrees, and Alcoy is expected to be 24 degrees.
Warning about wind
On Thursday, the climax of this heat wave induced by westerly winds is expected. The temperature in Orihuela might reach 33 degrees, and there is a yellow alert for strong winds in the north of the province because to the Atlantic storm Benjamin. From 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., there will be gusts of up to 80 km/h inland, covering l’Alcoià and Alto Vinalopó, as well as parts of l’Alacantí, El Comtat, and Medio Vinalopó. And winds of up to 70 km/h on the northern shore, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., covering Marina Alta and parts of El Comtat and Marina Baixa.
Back to normal?
This unusually hot weather will start to cool down on Friday, and especially during the weekend, when there is also a chance of rain. Aemet says that the wind will get weaker on Friday, although it will still blow softly from the west, with some mild gusts in the middle of Valencia and Alicante. The temperatures will decline since the west breeze will be less strong. This drop will be more noticeable along the coast, where the maximums are.
So, Aemet has said that a front will move through on Sunday and bring rain. The weather will return to normal on Monday.
Author: Derek Appleton
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