The observatory of the State Meteorological Agency located in La Savina has registered since May and until today 144 tropical nights, one of the highest figures in Spain.
We talk about a tropical night when the temperature does not drop below 20ºC all night long, which is when the lowest temperature of the day usually occurs and is an indicator of nocturnal heat that meteorologists and climatologists use to check the effects of climate change.
These records are due to two factors: the first can be attributed to the scorching summer we have suffered on the islands with unusual and persistent heat. In fact, it has been one of the worst since 2003 and numerous heat records were registered, among them, the highest temperature ever measured on the islands: 44.5ºC on Formentera and Montuiri on August 13th. This caused seawater surface temperatures to reach incredible highs of up to 31ºC at the Dragonera buoy. High seawater temperatures are the first trigger for nighttime heat, including tropical nights.
The second factor is the unseasonably warm episodes that have occurred in May and October that have produced an increase in tropical nights during these two months.
A worrying trend
It is a fact that our grandparents enjoyed much milder summers than we have now. Even in the middle of July or August they had to pack a jacket if they decided to dine in the cooler weather. The current situation is radically different from those times and is worsening by leaps and bounds in recent years.
How long will the heat and tropical nights continue?
The anticyclonic blocking situation could last until the end of the month according to the most recent updates of the meteorological models. Temperatures will remain unusually high with highs up to six degrees above normal for this time of year. We will continue to add tropical nights in coastal observatories.
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