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Date Published: 16/11/2023

2023 is in line to be the hottest year since 1961 in the Region of Murcia

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The average temperature from January to October was 18.9ºC, more than one degree above normal

2023 is in line to be the hottest year since 1961 in the Region of Murcia

The most recent data from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has revealed that the year 2023 is on track to be the hottest year in the Region of Murcia since 1961.

Not in the last 62 years has a period between January and October been recorded a period with such a high average temperature.

For the remaining months of 2023, November and December, the current forecast, does not seem like it will change these results drastically.

This was explained by Aemet meteorologist Juan Esteban Palenzuela Cruz, who pointed out that, from January to October this year, the average temperature has been 18.9ºC when the normal average would be 17.6ºC.

That puts the year 2023 in line to join the list of the warmest years in the history of the Region of Murcia: 2022 (18.6ºC), 2014 (18.5ºC) and 2001 (18.3ºC).

In addition, Palenzuela asserts that the Region is entering a period of meteorological drought, according to the index of the last three months with which the Aemet works. The most affected areas are the Altiplano and Campo de Cartagena.

The hydrological year began on October 1. With the data accumulated so far, we can see how the drought is accentuating in much of the Mediterranean area, including the Region.

The consequences of these temperatures and the lack of water have been seen in the countryside for months, where crops have suffered heavy losses.

Meanwhile, in the cities such as Murcia capital there is a phenomenon known as ‘urban heat islands’, whereby the temperature in these built-up environments is higher than in their immediate surroundings. That’s why people in the city will have noticed that the minimum temperatures are higher than usual.

At the same time, the Murcian coastal area has benefitted from westerly winds that have caused the sea water to cool down, as currents from the depths have arrived. Thus, the sea breeze has been cooler recently.

On a national scale, it does not look like 2023 will be the warmest year on record for Spain. True, August and April were the warmest since 1961, but months such as January and February remained within average values. That is why Palenzuela states that it is not yet possible to know if 2023 will be the warmest since records started to be kept.

That said, it is alarming that up until October this year, there were 35 days which set temperature records. This figure exceeds those in 2022, and there are still two months to go before the end of the year.

Globally, this is indeed the warmest year on record to date. Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation Program, notes that October was the fifth month in a row with extraordinarily high temperatures.

“In conclusion, 2023 will most likely be the warmest year on our planet since data has been available,” Palenzuela says.

Image: Archive

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