Not so much

not be as suffocating as 2022, which broke all records throughout Spain.

However, experts report that since 2010 Alicante has not had a summer with temperatures that are similar to or below the average for the time of year, which they confirm is an effect of climate change.

A new term to become ac­ quainted this year is ‘thermal slide’ or ‘thermal rollercoaster’, in which sudden temperature changes from one day to the next and back again can cause alterations to people and animals.

‘Tropical nights’ are a regular summer phenomenon, when nocturnal temperatures stay above 20ºC.

The experts reveal that this situation has multiplied by five in coastal towns and cities in Alicante Province since the 1980s, when there used to be 15 to 20 tropical nights a year ­ there are now more than 80.

This year could also see the arrival of dry storms, in which the rain evaporates before reaching the ground. They are accompanied by lightning, which once again poses a severe threat of forest fires, compounded by a situation of ‘hydric stress’ as a result of the very dry conditions of the earth and vegetation.