For more than a week now, Spain has been dealing with the effects of the second and very intense heat wave of this summer. The episode is leaving data as last Friday August 8 the hottest place in the Community of Madrid recorded a maximum temperature of 41.8 ºC.
The data corresponds to the town of Arganda del Rey, located in the Metropolitan Area of Madrid: an area of the region that last week was in warning for “Risk” and “Important Risk” as a result of high temperatures, according to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
It was followed by Alcalá de Henares (40.8 ºC), Villanueva de la Cañada and San Sebastián de los Reyes with 40.7 ºC and Aranjuez (40.5 ºC).
This is, according to the records of this agency, the second highest temperature in the country during that day, only behind Candeleda (Ávila), where the mercury reached 42.3 ºC.
When will the heat wave end?
The AEMET predictions suggest that the end of the episode could take place between Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14, since although slight thermal decreases are expected for Wednesday, the high temperatures of these days could mean that the criteria for considering it a heat wave will continue to be met.
“On Thursday 14 the uncertainty is high, but most likely there will be additional thermal decreases in the most affected areas throughout this episode, which would be enough to end it,” says the agency in a special notice.
The respite, however, may not last long in some areas of the country, as the statement says: “In any case, in subsequent days could return abnormally warm temperatures to the northeast quadrant of the peninsula”.
How to protect oneself against high temperatures?
The Ministry of Health has a National Plan of preventive actions against the effects of excess temperature on health, which includes general protection and prevention measures.
Among them, for example, are the use of loose clothing, drinking water and liquids frequently (avoiding drinks with alcohol, caffeine or very sugary drinks) or keeping medicines in a cool place. You can consult the complete decalogue in this document.