Spain as France, India, Pakistan endures record heatwave as May to become hottest month of century _AEMET

Spain is feeling the heat after temperatures soared this weekend, reaching up to 15 degrees above average for the season.

With some areas reaching a scorching 44ºC on Saturday, this unprecedented heatwave could make May the hottest month of the century.

At least 13 regions were on alert due to heat, Spain’s State Meteorological Agency AEMET said, and the temperatures could provoke storms in five of them.

“These will probably be among the warmest temperatures we’ve seen in May in the 21st century,” agency spokesman Rubén del Campo said.

The mercury rose to 42.3 degrees Celsius on Friday afternoon in Andujar, in the southern Andalucia region, after reaching 39.5 degrees Thursday.

Two of the region’s provincial capitals, Cordoba and Sevilla, also saw similar temperatures.

The Spanish government advised all to stay hydrated, limit physical activity and stay in cool areas whenever possible.

AMAET says the climates of North Africa are moving towards the south of Europe, while scientists warn that heatwaves could become much more common and intense globally in the years to come due to the impact of the climate crisis.

This means that by the middle of the century, longer and more intense periods of drought and, of course, higher temperatures will be more frequent.

The summers in a relatively cool Spanish city, such as La Coruña, could be similar to the climate of the Moroccan city of Casablanca.

It is estimated that about two thousand people a year die in Spain due to excessive heat.

Reminiscing the scorch in India where the temperature hits 50ºC bIrds were reported to fall from the sky as a result of a severe heatwave.

Rescuers in India’s western Gujarat state were picking up dozens of exhausted and dehydrated birds dropping from the sky as a scorching heatwave dries out water sources in the state’s biggest city.

Large swathes of South Asia are drying up in the hottest pre-summer months in recent years, prompting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to warn of rising fire risks.

Doctors in an animal hospital managed by non-profit Jivdaya Charitable Trust in Ahmedabad said they have treated thousands of birds in the last few weeks, adding that rescuers bring dozens of high flying birds such as pigeons or kites every day.

“This year has been one of the worst in recent times. We have seen a 10 per cent increase in the number of birds that need rescuing,” Manoj Bhavsar, who works closely with the trust and has been rescuing birds for over a decade in India.

Animal doctors at the trust-run hospital were seen feeding birds multi-vitamin tablets and injecting water into their mouths using syringes on Wednesday this week.

Health officials in Gujarat have issued advisories to hospitals to set up special wards for heat stroke and other heat-related diseases due to the rise in temperatures.

LENS with inputs from AP, AFP