In Spain, which was hit by a heat wave in mid-January, temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius were recorded today, according to the local meteorological service.
In Valencia today it was 29,5 degrees, and in Malaga it was 27,8 degrees, the service stated, adding that around 400 weather stations recorded a temperature above 20 degrees.
Such a temperature is specific for the middle or end of June, that is, during the summer, said the spokesperson of the meteorological service.
According to David Korel, a researcher at the University of Valencia, the heat in the middle of winter, which affects the south-east of France, is caused by the presence of a strong anticyclone over the Mediterranean Sea.
Spain is facing more and more frequent heat waves, sometimes outside the summer months, which worries scientists.
The country has already recorded an unusually high temperature in December, with a maximum of 29,9 degrees in Malaga, a national record for the month of December.
These heat waves occur in the context of severe drought, especially in Andalusia and Catalonia in the east, where authorities have introduced restrictive measures for water consumption, after three years of little rain.
In Catalonia, in mid-January, the level of reservoirs in which rainwater is stored for use during the dry months fell to 17 percent of capacity. If it falls below 16 percent, which seems inevitable, the authorities will have no choice but to declare a state of emergency, with additional restrictions.
Bonus video:
