Tourists warned to stay off Spain's beaches after land temperature hits 60 degrees

As climate change continues to impact the planet, heatwaves will become more severe and frequent.

Michael Dahlstrom
·Environment Editor
·3-min read

Europe’s satellite agency has warned the land surface temperature in a Spanish town exceeded 60 degrees on Tuesday.

While it's the landlocked region of Extremadura that made headlines for hitting the deadly high, temperature records are expected to tumble across much of the continent as a sweltering heatwave continues.

The weather is so stifling that in the UK, travellers entering Spain for the summer holidays have been warned to stay away from beaches. On the popular show Good Morning Britain, a Spanish tourism spokesperson warned, “It will soon be too hot to lie on the beach in July and August”.

A crowded Spanish beach with a woman sipping juice in the foreground.
Spanish beaches have been crowded during the heatwave, but one expert has warned they may no longer be safe. Source: Getty

At home, Londoners haven't experienced such stifling conditions, but they've still been warned to beware of snakes escaping from their enclosures as temperatures rise.

Deadly story behind European heatwave's naming

While it’s common practice for hurricanes and cyclones to be named, this is the first time meteorologists in Europe have decided to name a heatwave — it’s called Cerberus.

The decision to do so was made to try and raise awareness about the threat it poses to human safety. In Australia, heatwaves are responsible for more deaths than any other natural hazard. Cerberus has already claimed a life in Italy this year — a 44-year-old construction worker died this week.

As the impact of manmade climate change continues to destroy the planet, heatwaves are expected to become more frequent and severe.

Heatwaves pose a danger to both human and animal health. Source: Reuters/Getty
Heatwaves pose a danger to both human and animal health. Source: Reuters/Getty

Concern for animal and human health

But it’s not just human health that’s in danger. In Spain, wildlife rescuers are working to save nestling birds which are prone to the effects of heatwaves.

A spokesperson for Madrid's regional Centre for the Recovery of Wild Animals warned that kestrel fledglings face peril when they crash-land due to heat. “After a day or two without food, with these high temperatures, they dehydrate very easily," he added.

Weather alerts have been placed in a number of countries including the Canary Islands, Italy, Cyprus and Greece. The European Space Agency has concerns about the July temperatures in other nations too. “Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heatwave with temperatures expected to climb to 48 degrees Celsius on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia – potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe, it said.

Meanwhile in the US the hottest ever temperature in the world could be recorded in California's Death Valley this weekend with temperatures forecast to climb as high as 55 degrees.

with Reuters

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