Sixth hottest January in 37 years

PALMA
LAST January was the sixth hottest in Spain in 37 years, according to the Ministry of the Environment.
The temperature was 1.7 degrees warmer than the average recorded during the period 1971- 2000, even higher if measured against average temperatures recorded in the period 1966-1996.

The month of January in the Balearics was described as “hot”, similar to central Cantabria and the areas around the Ebro river.
In the Canaries, meanwhile, January was described as “very hot to extreme”. Tarragon in Catalonia was described as “normal”, while parts of the southeast peninsula were described as “cold”.

In the rest of the country, “very hot” conditions have prevailed and in some parts, such as Avila, Caceres, Jaen and Cuenca, maximum temperatures broke records during January.

January was “dry” in the Balearics, while the Canaries verged on “extremely dry” during the first month of the year.
As regards atmospheric contamination, the Ministry's report highlighted that in December ozone levels were lower, as were SO2 levels. Nitrous oxides, meanwhile, increased.

Last year, there were 343 days during which ozone levels were higher than the recommended level.
About 2'500 hectares of forest were burned in 770 fires throughout the country during January, a figure higher than average over the last 10 years.