Heatwave peaks in Mallorca

TEMPERATURES in Mallorca hit 41ºC on Tuesday as the first heatwave of the summer that affected most of Spain reached its peak.

Sa Pobla (41ºC), Palma (39ºC) and Lluc (38ºC) were among the towns that bore the brunt of the entrance of a mass of hot air from north Africa that led to the activation of an orange alert for intense heat ­ although the State Weather Agency (Aemet) warned that it could be increased to a red alert in areas such as es Raiguer or Pla de Mallorca.

But the high levels of humidity recorded on most of the island ­ up to 60 per cent in some areas ­ meant that the thermal sensation was even higher.

In addition, thermometers were expected to reach up to 30ºC in the early hours of Wednesday morning, making it almost impossible to sleep in houses without air conditioning. Thankfully the Aemet predicted that a mass of cooler air from the north was due to arrive today, Thursday, which should bring temperatures back down to normal levels of between 30ºC and 35ºC.

But the excruciating heat was not seen as bad news for everyone, as electrical appliance shops sold out of fans and recorded much higher sales than in previous years.