Due to extreme heat, the central government and regional authorities in Spain are taking action. The Ministry of Health today proposed to the country’s regions that the national heat protection action plan should come into force on May 15 this year and not on June 1, as reported by the TV broadcaster RTVE.
RTVE showed pictures of workers sweating and swearing. Long queues formed in front of ice cream parlors. People also sought refreshment in fountains and air-conditioned shopping malls.
The regional government in Madrid has already decided on several measures to contain the consequences of the heat. In the capital, among other things, they want to open the public outdoor pools as early as mid-May, a month earlier than usual, adjust school times, check the situation in social and health centers more often and allow subways and buses to run more frequently in order to avoid larger crowds and long to avoid waiting times.
It has been unusually warm in Spain since the beginning of the week due to “a very warm and dry air mass” from Africa, according to the national weather service AEMET. Temperature records for April have already been broken in several Andalusian cities, including Cordoba and Granada: According to AEMET, the previous high of 34.0 degrees was clearly exceeded on Tuesday with 35.1 degrees in Cordoba.
