New historical heat record in Catalonia amidst a full heat wave. First the towns of Darnius and Navata (both in the Alt Empordà) reached 45.1º C, and hours later Figueres, reached 45.3 degrees, all surpassing the historical heat record in Catalonia this Tuesday. Never before has such figures been recorded in Catalonia, where the previous heat record was recorded in June 2019 in Alcarràs, with 43.8 º C. The 45.3º C in Figueres were recorded after a week of intense heat throughout the Catalan territory. Exceptional figures are being registered in many places, by far exceeding the 40º C mark and reaching, as in the case of Darnius, Navata and Figueres temperatures exceeding 45 C. The Alt Empordà is the region where the thermometers have risen the most so far today. 45.3º C is the highest temperature ever recorded by the Network of Automatic Weather Stations #XEMA, with series of over 30 years of data, surpassing the 43.8 °C of Alcarràs on June 29th, 2019.
Amb una validació final encara per fer. Provisionalment 45,3 graus a Figueres, maxima de la xarxa AEMET a Catalunya. La tempetura ha pujat 5 graus desde 40 en una hora. I els ha baixat en 20 minuts degut al gir del vent de ponent a SSE. pic.twitter.com/zoGhvx3hCd
— AEMET_Cataluña (@AEMET_Cat) July 18, 2023
In fact, the thermometer has risen beyond the 43.8 °C mark in several places. Anglès, located in the La Selva region, between Barcelona and Girona, reached 44.8 °C and exceeded the municipality's previous record of 43.2 °C, recorded in June 2019. In Santa Coloma de Farners thermometers have also set record figures, reaching 43.6 °C, more than one degree above the 42.3 °C they reached in July 2019. In Navata the 2015 record was broken and temperatures have risen to 44.3 °C. In the capital of Pla de l'Estany, Banyoles, the temperature reached 44.2 °C and shattered the previous record of 43 °C, recorded in 2015.
In La Bisbal d'Empordà, capital of Baix Empordà, record figures have also been surpassed and have reached 43.8 °C, surpassing the previous historical maximum of 2003. Several record high temperatures have been recorded in the Alt Empordà. In addition to those of Navata and Darnius, in Torroella de Fluvià thermometers have risen to 43 °C, when the previous record, dated 2015, was 41.1 °C. Finally, in the Vallès Oriental records are also being broken: in Vilanova del Vallès they reached 42.8 °C, when the previous maximum temperature recorded, in 2015, was 40.6 °C.
Catalan Government calls for “extreme caution” in the face of the very high temperatures
The situation has led the Catalan government to take extreme precautions, closing access to six natural areas of high fire risk and suspending authorizations for tasks that may pose a danger to workers. In addition, surveillance has been increased throughout the country due to the arrival of a mass of warm, dry air that, together with the high insolation of this time of year, will favour unusually high records, as has already happened throughout the territory. The maximum peak of heat in Catalonia is expected this Tuesday, with temperatures ranging around 42 °C in the country's interior, and around 44 °C in some regions of Girona, temperatures that in many cases have already been reached.
The phenomenon has impacted several regions, including the Pla de Lleida, the Tremp basin, Central Catalonia and a large part of the Girona region, where temperatures of over 40 °C have been recorded in many towns. Cities such as Lleida, Balaguer, Mollerussa, Les Borges Blanques, Manresa, Besalú, Banyoles and Figueres were among those that could reach or exceed 43 °C, as has finally happened in some cases.
This unprecedented heat wave has prompted the population to take extra precautions and be alert to the risks associated with high temperatures and the danger of forest fires. Authorities are expected to continue closely monitoring the situation and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of all citizens.
