Record-breaking temperatures predicted for Saturday

Paul Rees 02 August 2018

11426 'Furnace Friday,' 'Stultifying Saturday,' call these days what you will - but Thursday's start to an epic heatwave saw several of Portugal's cities among the hottest in the world.

Data from the IPMA weather service showed ten of the 18 district capitals in Portugal hitting 40ºC or more - Riyadh, 42ºC, and Kuwait at 43ºC were topped by Santarém at 45ºC and Évora at 44ºC.

But things will get hotter as today’s desert dust, suspended in the air, depressed highs.

Saturday is the big day, with Beja predicted to reach 47ºC, the same temperature as the aptly named, Death Valley* in California.

Friday will not be cool, with 44ºC expected in Évora, Setúbal, Santarém and Castelo Branco but Saturday promises to be worse, with temperatures leaping to 47ºC in Beja, 46ºC in Évora and 45ºC in Setúbal.

Vânia Lopes, an IPMA meteorologist, confirmed that Saturday may reach historical maximum temperatures across the country.

At the moment, the record is 47.3°C, recorded at Amareleja in 2003. However, Lopes confirmed that the dust particles coming from North Africa may yet affect the predicted highs.

Helder Silvano, who manages the Meteo Abrantes website, says that the current and predicted highs are, "exceptionally rare" and agrees with the IMPA that records will be broken.

The authorities ask people to check on elderly neighbours, especially if they are living alone, avoid outdoor activities and pay attention to the warnings – they are not an exaggeration. The last heatwave led to the death of 1,700 people in Portugal.

People should also keep hydrated and avoid the sun, especially between 11.00 and 17.00.

The Algarve will miss the most extreme temperatures. The IPMA site shows Faro with highs of 36, 37 and 35°C over the next three days and Aljezur at 38, 39 and 34°C. There is zero chance of rain...

_________

On the afternoon of July 10, 1913, the United States Weather Bureau recorded a high temperature of 134°F (56.7°C) at Greenland Ranch (now Furnace Creek) in Death Valley. This temperature stands as the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth.

Comments

+1 #6 dw 2018-08-03 13:53

IPMA shows Mora (Évora) had 45.7 ºC yesterday which is apparently the hottest recorded in Europe so far this year.

+3 #5 Chip 2018-08-03 12:25

Quoting John Stoddart:

This focus on hot weather is no different to so much else the Portuguese pretend an interest in. Anything that concerns a 'whiteman' like wildlife protection, animal rights, care of pets and rare plants, even valuing archaeology and history. We have all had Portuguese messing our properties about and then telling us this is their take on what we intended. On the hottest days - no perspiration. Very little if any drinking of whatever we offer. Weather so hot that even mad dogs think twice about going out.

There are daily flights from Faro John.

-1 #4 Chip 2018-08-03 12:24

I played 9 holes of golf at Furnace Creek finishing at 9.50am when the temperature had already reached 35C.
Unbearable after 10.00am.

-6 #3 Darren 2018-08-03 10:47

Joao may have a point about "Aspirational wishes" buried deep within his heat induced 'skin' comment. A topic being queried on the expat sites during the last election; first raised briefly in the Portuguese Press then suppressed, was that the Portuguese political parties publicity material were using untypical graphics from north European and north American web adverts. The current PM then seeking election noticeably whitewashed on posters. Other input then describing the Continenete and Modelo adverts have been doing this for years yet, particularly interesting though that Lidl advertising goes the other way. All of us picking up their literature in the shops will see clearly that Lidl publicity is aimed at Hispanics and unrealistic to the (theoretical) blonde, blue eyed Aryans in the Lidl home market. But apparently so common in Portugal.

+3 #2 liveaboard 2018-08-03 10:18

Yesterday [Thursday] I recorded 36* north of Aljezur, only 2km from the coast. That was at 11AM. A slight sea breeze dropped the temperature to 33, and then it rose again later.
Today [Friday] 34* at 9:30AM, now at 10:15 AM 37*C
Be careful out here, it's not a joke.

-8 #1 John Stoddart 2018-08-02 20:30

This focus on hot weather is no different to so much else the Portuguese pretend an interest in. Anything that concerns a 'whiteman' like wildlife protection, animal rights, care of pets and rare plants, even valuing archaeology and history. We have all had Portuguese messing our properties about and then telling us this is their take on what we intended. On the hottest days - no perspiration. Very little if any drinking of whatever we offer. Weather so hot that even mad dogs think twice about going out.

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