Spain enjoying Indian summer, with weekend temperatures over 39ºC

It's still too early to say whether this fall will be warmer than the average, but experts advise waiting a little longer before changing over to a winter wardrobe

Spain is currently enjoying - or indeed suffering - high or very high temperatures for this time of the year, although it is still too soon to say whether or not the start of this fall will be among the warmest of recent years.

"At 17 of the main State Meteorological Agency [AEMET] measuring stations, temperatures above 38ºC were registered this weekend," explains spokesperson Delia Gutiérrez. These stations include those in the southwestern cities of Seville, Huelva, Badajoz, Cáceres, Córdoba and Cádiz. "For the whole weekend, the highest temperature was recorded on September 22 in El Granado, Huelva, which saw 39.5ºC," the meteorologist explains.

The whole of Spain, including the Canary Islands, saw above-average temperatures this weekend. "We are talking about over 32ºC in the whole country," explains Gutiérrez. "They only fell under 30ºC in areas of the north near Cantabria and the Pyrenees and in mountainous areas."

So is this the most intense Indian summer Spain has seen in recent years? "This fall, which began on September 1 in meteorological terms, is showing a predominantly warm deviation at nearly all observatories," Gutiérrez explains, adding that it won't be until the end of this month that the average temperature can be properly calculated, and compared to previous years.

September, the spokesperson explains, is usually a very changeable month in Spain, where "episodes of high temperatures, similar to summer, are normal, as well as completely opposite conditions, with isolated depressions that bring with them lower temperatures and showers," Gutiérrez explains.

Indian summers such as this one are "relatively normal," she continues, and are due to high pressure over the peninsula, depressions to the north, long hours of sunshine, and a lack of humid air from the Atlantic.

But cooler temperatures are on their way, as one of the areas of low pressure is due to move toward the peninsula. "Today, Monday, saw temperatures fall in the northern third of the peninsula, around 6ºC or 8ºC," Gutiérrez explains. "Tomorrow the fall will be similar close to the Mediterranean and on Wednesday it will move into the center and the south, while temperatures in the north will recover."

Temperatures will, however, "stay around the usual values in the western areas of the country, with normal values or slightly lower in areas close to the Mediterranean and the Balearics," Gutiérrez explains. On Wednesday, the mercury will be around 5ºC above the norm in the west of the peninsula and 1ºC or 2ºC in the center, the north, and parts of Andalusia, while normal temperatures are expected on the coasts of Valencia and Murcia.

From tomorrow, rain is also forecast, in particular in inland and mountainous areas, and could last until Thursday.

So when can Spaniards switch from their summer wardrobe to the winter one? For now, it's worth waiting, although temperatures are unlikely to hit the highs of the weekend again. For the week of October 1, the southeast is likely to be warmer than usual, according to the AEMET spokesperson, while it will be cooler around Cantabria, "giving the sensation that the fall has arrived."

Source: El pais