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A SPANISH weather forecaster has slammed the ‘terrifying’ online backlash her organisation has received to its reporting on Spain’s early summer heat.
Sandra Monrabal with meteorologists Meteored was left stunned by the rabid disbelief in scientific data after a tweet about Aemet’s warning for an ‘episode of abnormally high temperatures’ across the country racked up over one million impressions in just under 24 hours.
The post, shared on Thursday, detailed a sweltering heatwave set to scorch the Iberian Peninsula with maximum temperatures in the mid-40s – hotter than Abu Dhabi.
Yet instead of gratitude or concern, Monrabal, who is the Director of Communications at Meteored, found herself facing ‘hordes of partisans’ who dismissed the data outright.
READ MORE In 2025, the number of days with temperatures above 40C in Spain by June 1 will be double that of all previous days combined.
The alert highlighted an alarming trend that Monrabal has been experiencing for years: CO2 levels in this year’s air have reached 422.8 parts per millions, which is a 25% increase from 1980, according the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
But the responses on social media were anything but scientific.
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“The science is being attacked by a cult that sees objective facts as nothing,” she said, pointing to a wave of sceptics who branded the warning as part of a ‘globalist conspiracy’.
Others have even used old weather maps as evidence that heatwaves were nothing new. They ignore decades of peer reviewed research linking temperature rises to human activity.
Monrabal’s viral tweet served as a wake-up. Aemet felt shaken when she heard the hatred of deniers, despite some people praising her work.
Monrabal’s frustration echoes a growing cultural shift in Spain, where coordinated misinformation campaigns – 70% of climate denial online, per a 2021 Nature Climate Change study – fuel distrust.
The forecaster warns that this rejection of data could have dangerous implications for locals and foreigners alike.
The heat will kill them. “It’s not about the weather. It’s about believing evidence”, she said.
Her dismay was shared by other scientists.
Another well-known weather expert said, “It gets scarier and more frustrating every day; you can’t cover these types of situations without people bothering you.”
“I’d like to believe it is only a part, and that for the rest of the data, and information, we can use them,” wrote Juan Carlos Asensio Soto a professor from the European University of Valencia.
READ MORE ‘Remain indoors as much as possible’: New Spain heatwave could reach 46C in ‘hottest June ever’
Guillermo Ferrer is a biologist who has personally tracked the CO2 increases. He also criticised the graphic-heavy presentations that confuse public understanding.
“You’re doing it wrong with your graphics,” he said to Monrabal. This reflected a frustration shared by many that well-intended data can be lost in the disbelief of an audience.
Another commenter wrote: “I think it’s not ‘objective’ to use the colour black for temperatures that have we’ve been having for decades.”
Monrabal shot back: “We haven’t been having them for decades, they’re only happening now – before they were exceptional.
“In any case, the black is a good thing, as it conveys danger, and it’s a very dangerous situation.”
The Olive Press has more weather news. Click here to view them.
