Spain Sees December Heat Record With 29.9 Celsius In Malaga

 Spain recorded Tuesday its highest temperature ever for a December after the southern city of Malaga saw thermometers reach 29.9 degrees Celsius (85.8 Fahrenheit), the Aemet national weather service said.

The heat, which follows several days of warm air currents across the Iberian peninsula, surpassed the previous December record from 2010, when a temperature of 29.4 degrees was recorded in Grenada, also in the southern Andalusia region.

Historic day...

We just observed the hottest December day for Spain 🇪🇸 on record with +29.9°C in Málaga.

This heat is hard to comprehend in the middle of December, so near the solstice. pic.twitter.com/GMcVkx3TmI

— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) December 12, 2023

Such levels would be "much less likely" without "the climate changes that have been observed globally and in Spain", Aemet said.

Despite being accustomed to hot summer months, Spaniards in recent years have seen a growing number of intense heat waves in other seasons, raising alarm among many scientists.

According to Aemet, the frequency of heat waves has tripled in the country over the past 10 years, and the summer weather season has increased by 10 days per decade since the 1980s.