Due to the heat wave, this month of July is being, among other things, suffocating for the entire Spanish territory. And it is that, as the State Meteorological Agency predicted, our country will break records for maximum temperatures in some areas, reaching up to 44ºC in areas such as Guadiana and Seville. This situation is due to an unfortunate combination of an anticyclone and a DANA coinciding in space and time, resulting in strong insolation. In fact, the forecast for minimum temperatures will also continue to be quite high for these dates.
The strongest heat wave in history
When it is said that records have been broken in this heat wave, it refers to the fact that there have been some areas of Spanish territory that have not reached the temperatures they have experienced this year for decades. For example, in Ponferrada it had been 70 years since they had reached the 41 ºC in summer that they have reached this year. Or in Salamanca, which has reached 40.8 ºC, the highest since its last record 29 years ago.
What is particularly serious about this heat wave is that it is widespread. In other words, the entire country has been affected by this rise in temperatures and the social and civil alarm is being highly publicized. However, in more global terms, one of the most difficult years for our country was 2017. A year in which the city of Córdoba reached 47.2 ºC and marked an unprecedented stamp.
How has the heat wave affected Spain?
And although high temperatures are not strange news in our country, this year, as we said, the heat wave has affected the entire territory and the most devastating consequences have multiplied. Specifically, so far this summer, 360 people have lost their lives as a result of the disorder known as “heat stroke”. And it is that the heat wave in Spain that lasted from the week of July 11 to 17 in Spain reached maximums of 44 or 45 ºC, which has put the most vulnerable groups at risk.
Forest fires due to heat wave in Spain
And since we are talking about the incessant heat wave, we cannot ignore another of the most important issues these days: Forest fires. These are also being an aggravating factor in the heat wave in Spain and it is that right in the hottest week of the year, several fires have taken place in different parts of Spain, Portugal and France. Specifically, in our country, more than 6 have been devastated. 000 hectares. The worst scenarios are found in Monsagro and El Pont de Vilomara.
Impact on health and coping with the heat wave
As you can see the impact of a heat wave can manifest itself in various ways and all of them devastating. Therefore, in this article we would like to alert our readers about the best practices to cope with this heat wave and the future ones that will come in the coming years.
The most dangerous health impact of a heat wave is that our bodies overheat. During heat waves, we often hear the term “heat stroke”. This, in fact, is the most disastrous impact on health and from which we have to try to flee. And it is that it is a disorder due to excess heat in the body which causes blood pressure to drop very abruptly and dangerously increases the risk of heart attack.
For that reason, older people are the most vulnerable when it comes to heat waves as well as pregnant women and children under the age of four. Still, the truth is that we should all be forewarned and know what we can do to keep our body temperature balanced and not make it too hot.
- Drink water even before you are thirsty: This first piece of advice is one of the most important. And it is that, something that few know is that, when you are thirsty, your body is already at a limit point. At normal temperatures, this "thirst alarm" is not so dangerous because you can have more margin. But at times like in the middle of a heat wave, it's better to be safe than sorry and keep your body hydrated throughout the day even without feeling thirsty.
- Avoid going out during peak sun hours:The most dangerous hours in summer are from 12:00 noon. Especially in large cities where the asphalt collects the heat of the sun throughout the day, this increases the ambient temperature even more. The general recommendation, therefore, is to avoid going outside from noon to 8:00 p.m.
- Ventilate your house during the night hours:A very efficient way to keep yourself at a correct temperature is to promote good thermal insulation at home. Good thermal insulation has a lot to do with the walls, windows and roof of your house. But if you can't do anything about these elements, the recommendation is that during the day you close the windows and lower the blinds to prevent heat from entering. On the contrary, during the coolest hours, at night or first thing in the morning, it is recommended to ventilate so that the air is regenerated and your house reaches a good temperature.
- Do not abuse the low temperatures of the air conditioning:If you have an air conditioner at home, this can be very beneficial to deal with high temperatures. However, it is not recommended to be below 24 and 28 degrees so that there is not too drastic a change when someone enters or leaves the house. And it is that a drastic change in temperature can stress our body, lower blood pressure and make us feel dizzy.
- This is not the time to play sports:Although sport is always beneficial for any body, the truth is that at times of high temperatures it is not recommended, not even at night.
How to prepare for future heat waves?
At this point, we can talk about how to deal with the current heat wave, but also how we can prepare for future ones. And it is that climate change is already an unstoppable reality that will surely bring us hotter and hotter summers. That is why thinking about certain actions that in the future can make our summers less intense can be a success.
- Insulation of the house: As we already mentioned, getting the walls, windows and roof of our house to generate good thermal insulation, will make us win in energy saving and quality of life. And it is that good insulation will keep our house cool in summer and warm in winter. If your house is not well insulated, you will surely have noticed that in winter you need to always have the radiators on because the heat is not maintained; or in summer always the fans or the air conditioning on because the cool air evaporates. This is due to the insulation in your home, so it's not crazy to think about investing in good windows, reinforcing the walls with insulation, and most important of all, good roof insulation if you live in a house.
- Install an air conditioner or have a cold generator:Both for extreme summers and harsh winters, it is essential to help yourself with some source of heat or cold. In recent years, cold penguins, which are portable electric air conditioners, have become popular. They do not require installation and you can move them around the house.
- Ceiling fans: Many of us are unaware of how effective ceiling fans can be. These can help us keep drafts and refresh all the rooms in our house. It is recommended that in summer the fan blades rotate counter-clockwise to push cool air down and create a cooling breeze.
How long can we expect this heat wave to last?
Now the question we all ask ourselves these weeks is how long? The truth is that there is a concrete forecast of until what time of the month, we should endure high temperatures. And according to most forecasts, we can say that throughout this week and until approximately Sunday the 17th temperatures will increase. This does not mean that from Sunday the temperatures will drop, only that they will not continue to rise.
That is why it is important to keep active all these recommendations that we have just offered to protect you and your entire family.
