While Mallorca can expect 34C this week, the health ministry is launching a new heat alert plan

Spain's health ministry has drawn up a new plan for high temperature alerts that will be launched on June 17. Where Mallorca is concerned, there will no longer be a single temperature that activates the alert. This is currently the temperature recorded at Palma Airport. Under the new plan there will be zones. The regional health ministry will be responsible for the application.

Julio Díaz from the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, who has participated in drawing up the plan, explains that it has been very complex, as three ministries have had to be coordinated. He says that following the heat wave of 2003, which claimed 70,000 lives in Europe, the then minister of health, Ana Pastor, commissioned the preparation of a prevention plan. "We know that there are three things that influence mortality due to heat: in addition to temperature, income and rural or urban character do so."

In 2015, a start was made on unifying health ministry alerts for high temperatures with those of the Aemet met agency. The zones that have now been established correspond with geographical reference zones that Aemet uses. Díaz adds that this "territorialisation" is very important, as until now warnings have been activated in areas where they haven't been necessary, which has meant a misuse of resources.

The new system is referred to as 'meteo alert' and will have the same risk levels as Aemet's warnings - from zero for no risks to three for red alert.

In Mallorca, where there can be quite wide variations in temperature, the airport rarely reflects highest temperatures. There are definite 'hotspots', such as Binissalem, Llucmajor and Sa Pobla. Temperatures in the Tramuntana are generally lower, as they can also be in eastern coastal municipalities.

The reference temperature at the airport has been 34.4C. With the new zones, these will be 34.8 in the north and northeast, 35.9 in the interior, 34.4 in the south and 34.3 in the east. For various parts of Mallorca this week, 34C or perhaps higher has been forecast.

Díaz points out that there is very little mortality due to heat in the Balearics. This is a factor of population size. Last year there was only one case.