More than 200 dead in Catalonia due to extreme heat and record sea temperatures

BarcelonaCatalonia has closed the month of June with more than 200 deaths attributable to heat, according to estimates of mortality attributable to heat from the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) of the Carles III Health Institute. It is the highest figure in a June since records began. MoMo is the only tool that allows us to map in almost real-time the deaths that occur daily in the State, which are calculated using the excess mortality indicator; that is, how many deaths that occur [observed] exceed those that were expected [estimated] in a given territory and period.

June has also been the second warmest June in the historical series in Spain, with temperatures well above average and a proliferation of tropical nights throughout the territory. This episode of extreme heat coincides with another worrying indicator on a global scale: sea surface temperatures have once again broken a record this June, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change and Marine Monitoring services. On June 21, an average of 20.86°C was recorded, the highest value measured to date for this time of year. A situation that scientists attribute to the combination of global warming and the onset of the El Niño phenomenon.

Experts warn that a warmer ocean is not only an indicator of climate change, but also a driver of more extreme weather phenomena. The increase in sea temperature increases evaporation, brings more energy to storms, and raises the risk of torrential rainfall and floods.

In statements to 3Cat, the head of climatology at the Meteorological Service of Catalonia, Marc Prohom, recalls that "the sea surface is two degrees above the average in Catalonia" and warns that "the Mediterranean is very warm and it makes storm clouds grow". He also emphasizes that "global warming causes more intense and localized downpours" and that, if emissions are not reduced, "heatwaves will be more frequent, longer, and arrive earlier".

Scientists agree that these episodes are ceasing to be exceptional and are becoming part of a new climate normality. "We are normalizing temperatures that were not normal thirty years ago," Prohom summarizes.