Heatwave Warnings in Spain are released if meteorologists are certain about the occurrence of a severe weather event.
WEATHER ALERTS from AEMET - RED WARNINGS ARE IN PLACE IN THE REGION FOR EXTREMELY HIGH TEMPERATURES on THURSDAY 10th from 13:00 UNTIL 21:00 - Maximum temperature: 42ºC. It will mainly affect the interior of Vega Baja. They may occasionally exceed 44ºC.
Monday 7th August - State weather agency AEMET is warning of the arrival of the third official heatwave of the year, and the first of August. As you can see it is affecting the south and west of the country, where temperatures will rise to around 45ºc in the shade in some areas. Comunidad Valenciana (Where Benidorm is situated) is NOT affected at the moment, but shade temperatures are expected to rise in Benidorm to 36ºc on Thursday.
Find daily updates for the Weather in Benidorm here
Yellow - Moderate. The weather is potentially dangerous,
Orange - Dangerous. Moderate to severe weather event.
Red - High Alert. The weather is very dangerous.
Remember that there were 11,300 deaths due to the heat last year in Spain, so take care.
Enjoy the hot weather but Stay Safe in the Sun
What is a Heatwave?
In meteorological terms, high temperatures are not the same as a heat wave. Here in Spain, a heat wave has to have three conditions: extreme temperatures up to 5% higher than the maximum temperatures these need to affect 10% of weather monitoring stations in the country and these high temperatures need to last at least 3 days, which explains why previous days of extreme heat haven’t received this classification so far this year.
Heatwave Warnings
Tips to stay safe during a official Heatwave Warning
Heat stroke
The main symptoms of a heat stroke are fever, disturbances of consciousness that can be accompanied by seizures; dry and very hot skin; fatigue and weakness; dizziness, nausea and vomiting; muscle cramps; severe headache and confusion; shallow, fast breathing; very fast heart rate and weak pulse. In the event of a heat stroke it is necessary to act quickly. Take the affected person into the shade, call the emergency phone 112 and, while waiting for the ambulance arrives, give air with a fan, cool the skin with wet cloths, and give sips of water.
Read more here about keeping safe in the sun
Playing sport in the heat
For those who plan to play sports during the heat wave, it is advisable to take into account the following indications: avoid the central hours of the day; drink plenty of water all day; eat fresh food, fruits and vegetables; do not drink alcohol, nor very sweet or hot drinks; wear loose clothing, light materials and light colors; do not perform physical exercises in hot environments; protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat or umbrella; use sun creams of at least protection factor 15 and avoid public acts or closed places without ventilation.
Heatwave warnings
Taking care of our pets
The Civil Guard picks up a trick to determine if it's appropriate to take you dogs out for a walk. This is the "five second rule", which consists of placing our own hand on the asphalt for five seconds and, in the event that we can not withstand the temperature, take our pet in a park where there is shade or look for another time for the ride. This will prevent animals from suffering burns on their paw pads. Read more on keeping your dog cool here.
The car, a dangerous greenhouse
A first tip also applicable to adults in the care of minors: a car parked in the sun becomes "a heat-building greenhouse" and a child or animal inside can die from a heat stroke in a few minutes, with an outside temperature of 39ºc, the inside of the car can heat up to more than 60ºc in just 15 minutes.
Heat can also lead to other problems on the road such as a 20% increase in road accidents and a 16% rise in vehicle breakdowns.