I never knew Algarve was so hot! (long post, sorry!)

[J.S.]

Olha, desculpe mas o meu Portugues esta ruin. Por isso escreve isto em Ingles porque acho que ha muitas pessoas a ca que falam ou ao menos escrevem e percebem o Ingles.

So...every summer I am interested in the hot areas in Europe. Last summer I measured 40,9 C on my Davis station in the countryside in Middelburg which is similar KNMI station Wilhelminadrop 16 km to the west (40,3C) and Westdorpe (20 km to the south) which reached 40,6 C. New Dutch record being 40,7 C. So in some ways we have officially entered the less and less exclusive club of "Hot European regions" I guess ;-) BTW: I hate hot weather, I only like it as a number on a list and be amazed.

Now Alentejo, Extremadura and Andalucia are known as the hot spots on the Iberian peninsula. I always look at maps to see some unknown places that might have some regional deviations. One is the Douro near Foz Coa but also: how about the interior of Algarve. Say near small places like Bentos or Fortes in the valleys in the east.

So I looked for agrometeoroligical stations which I knew Algarve has but it is pretty difficult to find. But...I found the data and it stretches from 2006 to today. It seems all these stations are equiped with professional instruments and the datasets are uninterrupted!

I remember that the few times we went to SIlves I found it a veery hot place. But....a few days might be the exception. Just too little to go by other than my impressions. Not a lot.

Okey: so I found agromteo data for both these places but not the other ones. I was really astonished by how hot even on average it gets there. I don't know if anyone ever took a look at those stations and did some pretty simple analyses liker I did now.

Over the period of 2006-2019 these are the values of Alte (Silves being 0,3 C cooler on average in general):

Tx average
May: 27,9 C
June: 31,4 C
July 34,8 C
Augustus 35,4 C
September: 31,7 C
Oktober: 27,7 C

Now how does this compare? We all know the temperatures are on the rise, so just looking at 1971-2000 or 1981-2010 values says something but not much.

I found the data of Moura, Sevilla Aeropuerto, Badajoz Talavera, Cordoba etc for the period 1990-2020. Every month separately available. So I could simply obtain data for the exact 2006-2019 period!

A known hot spot like Sevilla has these data for the same period (2006-2019):
May: 28,5 C
June: 32,5 C
July: 36,1 C
Augusts: 36,5 C
September: 31,9C
Oktober: 27,1 C.

In fact: there is not one station I found in Spain nor Portugal that is as warm as Alte is in October.

When we deduce 1981-2010 averages for Alte, Silves based on the 2006-2019 period and compare to Sevilla (1981-2010 real data), we get these values:

Tx Juli: 34,3 C....34,0 C...36,0 C
Tx August: 34,9 C....34,6C....35,5 C.

Those values fit perfectly in large parts of the Guadiana interior as well as most parts of the Gualquivir region with the exception of the area between Sevilla and Andujar, which are 1-2 C warmer and probably the lower parts of the Guadiana between Moura and Mertola but here we have no data from. We do see that a station near Moura (Agrometeo station of Herdade dos Lameirões) reaches slightly higher averages but it too is not based in the valley but about 80-100 m above it).

Also the highest temperature recorded during the 2006-2019 period was measured very recently. 4-08-2018 with 45,1 C in Alte. Silves got to 45,9 C! I also checked other stations for the values these days: Sao Bartolomeu de messines reached 44,5 C. Arronchela 43,8 C and Portimão the closest to the coast in that middle section of Algarve still got to 42,8 C. Other areas in the direction of Faro were clearly less hot. When we look at IPMA valies Alcoutim reached 44,7 C that day in what was a series of incredibly hot days on average for the whole of Portugal. Alvega got to 46,8 C, the hottest in Portugal continental.

Finally a last comparison for these days we find Serpa and Moura (Herdade dos Lameiroes) came to this incredible series. I also looked up Corodba and Sevilla and they did not even come close to these values:

Serpa, Moura and Alte 1-6 august 2018
1) 43,7.....42,5....40,1
2) 45,4.....44,7....41,7
3) 45,8.....44,8....41,3
4) 46,3....45,9.....45,9
5) 44,9....44,9.....39,0
6) 42,2....43,5.....39,2

Note that places like Badajoz, Sevilla and Cordoba all did not get near the values of either Serpa or Moura. It will be very hard to find a series of 6 days that come close on average to these maxima.

So we see that a place like Silves or Alte cannot come close either for a prolonged amount of time. But then again the average values as Tx for both places is almost identical to the very warmest place in Portugal where we do have meteorological stations. Moura agrometeo reaches 35,1 and 35,7 C just 0,4 C warmer than Alte.

So this central part of Algarve comes across as exceptional warm being so close to the coast without any hills or mountains between these places and the sea. Everything has a reason and I suppose the northern winds mean the air is even drier than north of the small mountains and hills seperating these places and Alentejo as well as these winds being too strong to allow a seabreeze seriously affecting this area. Just a guess though.

 

["Charneca" Mundial]

Olha, desculpe mas o meu Portugues esta ruin. Por isso escreve isto em Ingles porque acho que ha muitas pessoas a ca que falam ou ao menos escrevem e percebem o Ingles.

So...every summer I am interested in the hot areas in Europe. Last summer I measured 40,9 C on my Davis station in the countryside in Middelburg which is similar KNMI station Wilhelminadrop 16 km to the west (40,3C) and Westdorpe (20 km to the south) which reached 40,6 C. New Dutch record being 40,7 C. So in some ways we have officially entered the less and less exclusive club of "Hot European regions" I guess ;-) BTW: I hate hot weather, I only like it as a number on a list and be amazed.

Now Alentejo, Extremadura and Andalucia are known as the hot spots on the Iberian peninsula. I always look at maps to see some unknown places that might have some regional deviations. One is the Douro near Foz Coa but also: how about the interior of Algarve. Say near small places like Bentos or Fortes in the valleys in the east.

So I looked for agrometeoroligical stations which I knew Algarve has but it is pretty difficult to find. But...I found the data and it stretches from 2006 to today. It seems all these stations are equiped with professional instruments and the datasets are uninterrupted!

I remember that the few times we went to SIlves I found it a veery hot place. But....a few days might be the exception. Just too little to go by other than my impressions. Not a lot.

Okey: so I found agromteo data for both these places but not the other ones. I was really astonished by how hot even on average it gets there. I don't know if anyone ever took a look at those stations and did some pretty simple analyses liker I did now.

Over the period of 2006-2019 these are the values of Alte (Silves being 0,3 C cooler on average in general):

Tx average
May: 27,9 C
June: 31,4 C
July 34,8 C
Augustus 35,4 C
September: 31,7 C
Oktober: 27,7 C

Now how does this compare? We all know the temperatures are on the rise, so just looking at 1971-2000 or 1981-2010 values says something but not much.

I found the data of Moura, Sevilla Aeropuerto, Badajoz Talavera, Cordoba etc for the period 1990-2020. Every month seprately available. So I could simply obtain data for the exact 2006-2019 period!

A known hot spot like Sevilla has these data for the same period (2006-2019):
May: 28,5 C
June: 32,5 C
July: 36,1 C
Augusts: 36,5 C
September: 31,9C
Oktober: 27,1 C.

In fact: there is not one station I found in Spain nor Portugal that is as warm as Alte is in October.

When we deduce 1981-2020 averages for Alte and Silves based on the 2006-2019 period, we get these values:

Tx Juli: 34,3 C....34,0 C
Tx August: 34,9 C....34,6C.

Those values fit perfectly in large parts of the Guadiana interior as well as most parts of the Gualquivir region with the exception of the area between Sevilla and Andujar, which are 1-2 C warmer and probably the lower parts of the Guadiana between Moura and Mertola but here we have no data from. We do see that a station near Moura (Agrometeo station of Herdade dos Lameirões) reaches slightly higher averages but it too is not based in the valley but about 80-100 m above it).

Also the highest temperature recorded during the 2006-2019 period was measured very recently. 4-08-2018 with 45,1 C in Alte. Silves got to 45,9 C! I also checked other stations for the values these days: Sao Bartolomeu de messines reached 44,5 C. Arronchela 43,8 C and Portimão the closest to the coast in that middle section of Algarve still got to 42,8 C. Other areas in the direction of Faro were clearly less hot. When we look at IPMA valies Alcoutim reached 44,7 C that day in what was a series of incredibly hot days on average for the whole of Portugal. Alvega got to 46,8 C, the hottest in Portugal continental.

Finally a last comparison for these days we find Serpa and Moura (Herdade dos Lameiroes) came to this incredible series. I also looked up Corodba and Sevilla and they did not even come close to these values:

Serpa, Moura and Alte 1-6 august 2018
1) 43,7.....42,5....40,1
2) 45,4.....44,7....41,7
3) 45,8.....44,8....41,3
4) 46,3....45,9.....45,9
5) 44,9....44,9.....39,0
6) 42,2....43,5.....39,2

Note that places like Badajoz, Sevilla and Cordoba all did not get near the values of either Serpa or Moura. It will be very hard to find a series of 6 days that come close on average to these maxima.

So we see that a place like Silves or Alte cannot come close either for a prolonged amount of time. But then again the average values as Tx for both places is almost identical to the very warmest place in Portugal where we do have meteorological stations. Moura agrometeo reaches 35,1 and 35,7 C just 0,4 C warmer than Alte.

So this central part of Algarve comes across as exceptional warm being so close to the coast without any hills or mountains between these places and the sea. Everything has a reason and I suppose the northern winds mean the air is even drier than north of the small mountains and hills seperating these places and Alentejo as well as these winds being too strong to allow a seabreeze seriously affecting this area. Just a guess though.

O Algarve interior é bastante quente porque no verão está mais protegido da Nortada, embora de noite as temperaturas possam ser mais frias por causa da inversão térmica. É verdade que é das zonas mais quentes do país, a par de regiões como o Interior alentejano, a Estremadura e o vale do Guadalquivir. De facto, até já se tem discutido aqui no fórum sobre qual a localidade mais quente de Portugal em média, e é bem possível que esteja no Algarve, mais propriamente no vale do Guadiana.

Sobre a questão das temperaturas em agosto de 2018, acho que toda a gente de Portugal aqui do fórum lembra-se perfeitamente do que aconteceu... Um tempo excecionalmente quente, com uma vaga de calor das mais fortes a atingir Portugal Continental desde que há registos. De forma simplificada, foi uma lestada das maiores que já tivemos, e vários recordes ao longo de cidades do litoral foram feitos, como é o caso de Silves. É normal que as temperaturas mais altas tenham sido registadas em território português e não em território espanhol.

 

[J.S.]

obrigado! I did not remember that heat very well for two reasons: oen being me living in The Netherlands and two we were reaching record temperatures almost ourselves. In the 23 years I am having my weatherstation in the countryside it was my weatherstation reached 37,5 C. A record and just 1,1 C below the national record.....at that time. One year later 40,9 C was reached. So all focus, this time, was on this tragically hot day in The Netherlands and in my part (SW) in particular so I forgot about Iberia...Whicvh is kind of nice because looking at the values now it is all very impressive! I did not know about this at all! YEsm the 46,9 C in Alvega I remebered but not that it was a in fact a part of a sort but most intense heathwave. I am SO relieved this summer is a lot cooler and JUly is in fact cool. Northern part of The NEtherlands had a daytime maximum of 13,7 C! GREAT..love it.

 

[camrov8]

muita gente esquece que o sul da ibéria e uma extensão do Sahara e que só não é mais quente pois o mediterrâneo ameniza e introduz alguma humidade, no verão o barrocal deve bastante agreste , quanto ao vale do douro é um microclima muito unico amplificado pelo tipo de terreno com pouco solo e de xisto

 

[belem]

De máximas não sei, mas o vale do Guadiana, talvez tenha alguns dos locais mais quentes de Portugal continental, em termos de média anual.
Existiu uma estação em Sanlucar de Guadiana, a apenas 500 metros de Alcoutim, e enquanto esteve funcional, registou uma média anual superior à de Sevilha, para o mesmo período de observações.
E poderão até haver locais mais quentes no vale do Guadiana, do que este.

Além do Douro e do Guadiana, não se esqueçam do Vale do Tejo (abaixo de Rosmaninhal até praticamente à fronteira).
Existem algumas zonas bem quentes nesta zona praticamente desabitada (e não ficam necessariamente no fundo do vale, mas também em algumas encostas a baixa altitude).
É também uma região onde apanhei noites bem quentes.

 

[N_Fig]

O que querem dizer com lugar mais quente? O lugar que apresenta valores mais elevados, ou o que tem o maior valor médio? É que muitos desses vales depois têm mínimas bem baixas em situações de inversão térmica - falando apenas de lugares onde há estações do IPMA, Alvega e a Amareleja têm máximas muito altas (especialmente no verão), mas depois a média das mínimas faz com que tenham médias mais baixas que lugares do litoral como Faro e Vila Real de Santo António

 

[belem]

O que querem dizer com lugar mais quente? O lugar que apresenta valores mais elevados, ou o que tem o maior valor médio? É que muitos desses vales depois têm mínimas bem baixas em situações de inversão térmica - falando apenas de lugares onde há estações do IPMA, Alvega e a Amareleja têm máximas muito altas (especialmente no verão), mas depois a média das mínimas faz com que tenham médias mais baixas que lugares do litoral como Faro e Vila Real de Santo António

Apenas foram feitas algumas comparações relativamente a valores de temperatura máxima, pelo J:S.

Eu é que falei em médias anuais, mas de forma algo limitada (tendo em conta os poucos registos que existem).

Mas nem todas as zonas quentes, ficam em vales ou registam necessariamente situações de inversão térmica.

 

[algarvio1980]

Durante esta semana, quase todos os dias, tivemos um fluxo de SE/S e a estação de Martim Longo registou em quase toda a semana, temperaturas superiores a 35ºC, em 2 dias superou os 40ºC, tendo atingido 42.5ºC no dia 7 e o vento foi de Sul na hora de mais calor. O interior do Algarve é um verdadeiro forno, se o vento for de E, SE e S.

Por exemplo, a previsão a 10 dias do IPMA para Alcoutim, ronda sempre os 40ºC e com vento de Sul.

 

[N_Fig]

Apenas foram feitas algumas comparações relativamente a valores de temperatura máxima, pelo J:S.

Eu é que falei em médias anuais, mas de forma algo limitada (tendo em conta os poucos registos que existem).

Mas nem todas as zonas quentes, ficam em vales ou registam necessariamente situações de inversão térmica.

Certo, mas apenas quis dizer que os lugares com >45 ºC no verão não são necessariamente os que têm as médias mais altas a nível anual

 

[frederico]

De máximas não sei, mas o vale do Guadiana, talvez tenha alguns dos locais mais quentes de Portugal continental, em termos de média anual.
Existiu uma estação em Sanlucar de Guadiana, a apenas 500 metros de Alcoutim, e enquanto esteve funcional, registou uma média anual superior à de Sevilha, para o mesmo período de observações.
E poderão até haver locais mais quentes no vale do Guadiana, do que este.

Além do Douro e do Guadiana, não se esqueçam do Vale do Tejo (abaixo de Rosmaninhal até praticamente à fronteira).
Existem algumas zonas bem quentes nesta zona praticamente desabitada (e não ficam necessariamente no fundo do vale, mas também em algumas encostas a baixa altitude).
É também uma região onde apanhei noites bem quentes.

Já estive em Julho no Vale do Tejo Internacional e de facto é uma região muito quente, com encostas abrigadas dos ventos que atingem facilmente os 40ºC. E as noites também são mais quentes do que esperaria, mesmo no Rosmaninhal. Outra zona bem quente é o vale do Côa, o Pocinho, o vale do Águeda.