Mallorca suffering the longest heat wave on record

The met office does not forecast a drop in temperatures until next week. Until now, the longest heat waves recorded on the island were between 29 July and 3 August 2017 and between 27 July and 1 August 2020 - both lasted six days. However, those records will be broken on Tuesday, the seventh consecutive day of the heat wave, which began last Wednesday.

According to Miquel Gili of Aemet: “We will continue with high temperature warnings for the rest of the week, with maximum temperatures of between 36ºC and 38ºC made worse by the humidity. On Thursday and Friday there may be a slight drop in temperatures, but it will not be significant. On Saturday and Sunday temperatures will rise again, with even higher maximums.”

The conditions will increase the danger of forest fires, and the sea temperature will rise further.

And it is not just during the day. For the rest of the week, more tropical nights are expected and also so-called “torrid nights”, with minimum temperatures of 25ºC. In Capdepera on Sunday night, the temperature didn't drop below 26.1ºC.

Mallorca has never faced such an extended period of unusually high temperatures between five and six degrees above normal.

This wave, according to the Aemet, is characterised not by record temperatures - as they have not exceeded 40ºC - but by the duration, as the island will probably have to endure at least ten days of sweltering heat.

“Years ago such phenomena occurred very occasionally; not every year, as we have been seeing lately,” said Gili. “We will have to be prepared, because these episodes will in future be more frequent and longer lasting.”

On the Spanish mainland, forecasts indicate that a mass of cool air will arrive later on Monday and this will lower the temperatures considerably, bringing to an end the heat wave that began on Monday, 10th July.

“In Mallorca this will not affect us and we will continue with a mass of hot stagnant air above us.”