High sea temperatures are increasing the threat of hurricanes in Spain

The Meteorological Agency in Spain (AEMET) are pre-warning that there is a ‘strong possibility’ that Spain may be hit by hurricanes this summer having a “devastating” effect. Spain is in the middle of hurricane season which runs from June 1st to November 30^th every year, and weather experts are concerned about how the rising sea temperatures may impact the formation of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, causing an increased risk.

NASA describes hurricanes as “the most powerful meteorological event on Earth.” A hurricane feeds off heat and humidity on the ocean to create a rapidly rotating storm centre, with low pressure in the centre that generates strong winds and storms. They usually form over the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and almost always affect the same risk areas.

However, trends indicate that this may change and that Spain’s weather conditions over the next few months could be ripe for a hurricane that would seriously alter the weather across the country.

Hurricanes are known by many names, as they can also be called typhoons and tropical cyclones, but to be officially classified as a hurricane, wind speeds must go above 120km/h, as below this wind speed it is classified as a tropical storm. Hurricanes can be between 300 and 800 kilometres in diameter, and in the most extreme cases, winds can exceed 250km/h in their centre.

The increase in the temperature of the sea around Spain will be a key factor in the creation of a hurricane, as weather experts say that the three ingredients of a hurricane include warm seas (above 25°C), high humidity in the air mass above the sea, and a lack of shear, which is when different winds blow with different directions and intensities as altitude increases.

Historically, Spain has not suffered from many hurricanes. The Iberian Peninsula is situated at a latitude where sea temperatures are lower than in the tropics, and the dry winds blowing in from the Sahara decrease the humidity.

However, recently, sea temperatures were recorded at 28.4°C on July 24th, according to the European Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

Spain had its first scare with a hurricane as recently as 2005 when Hurricane Vince formed near Madeira and threatened the country, but it diminished in force to become a tropical depression by the time it reached Spain.

Hurricane Ophelia, in 2017, was a category 3 hurricane that passed a few hundred kilometres from Galicia, generating a wind storm which fuelled forest fires in the area, causing one of the worst environmental disasters in recent years.

Experts predict that the threat of hurricanes will become more and more common in Spain due to climate change, along with recent weather phenomena such as heat waves, storms, and heavy rains.