Despite everything we’ve been experiencing, “this is not a real heat wave”
The last couple of weeks’ baking temperatures are about to start falling.
Climatologist Mário Marques has been explaining to SIC Notícias why the last few days of September have been so hot. “The expert also leaves one certainty: thermometers will drop in a few days”, says the station.
Marques emphasised that although current temperatures are high, Portugal is not experiencing a “real heatwave”. Temperatures will remain high until the end of today, but from tomorrow onwards, they should gradually drop.
This situation is nothing new, he explains: it has been recurring over the last 20 years.
“Over the last two decades, temperatures have tended to be warmer earlier in the year and have tended to last until mid-October. This situation is recurring more and more,” he said.
The anticyclone at the root of these temperatures “is centred in Europe and is emanating air from the south in its circulation”. It “will recede a little and allow maritime air to enter from the west/north-west over the next few days”.
Portugal has not been the only country in Europe to be affected by baking September temperatures. Countries like Switzerland, Austria and Bulgaria have been experiencing above-average temperatures for the last two weeks.
“This will continue to be the case, as the air will be transported by October 6 to north-western and then central Europe and even as far as Scandinavia.
“Next week we’ll possibly hear about 10 degrees above average,” he said.
But from next week onwards, temperatures will be “closer to normal”, although there may be a momentary “northerly flow” that will bring the temperature down to around four degrees below average, “something (also) normal for the time of year”.
Source: SIC Notícias
