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Olive Press went on a heat chase as the record breaking heatwave spread from the Sahara across Europe.
We went on a mission to find a new meteorological phenomenon that is as dangerous and deadly as hurricanes and tornadoes. The heat chaser.
We wanted to experience it first hand. The weather forecasters were already predicting that Spain could reach 46C in June.
Ecija is a beautiful Sevillian town with baroque-style spires. It’s also known as “the Frypan of Spain.
READ MORE ‘Remain indoors as much as possible’: New Spain heatwave could reach 46C in ‘hottest June ever’
Ecija, located in the Guadalquivir valley in a geographic depression that traps oppressive heat inland, has recorded temperatures over 46C during the summer peak months (i.e. Not June.
The record heat in Spain was 47.6C in August 2021, which was recorded at Cordoba.
Marga, an Ecija native, told the Olive Press, “It is criminal how hot it gets here. But we make it work.”
READ MORE: UK heatwave is causing Brits to last-minute cancel holidays to ‘too hot’ Spain
Residents of Ecija tend to hide in the shadows during peak summer.
The day begins with a lot of activity and life. Tables and chairs go out on the broad central square, Plaza España, around 8am – when the temperature is only 30C.
You can also find out more about the following: Abuelos Workers queue at the window to collect their paychecks and occupy tables. cafe con leches con hielo – ice coffee.
READ MORE Barcelona records highest-ever June temperature – as investigation launched into death of female street cleaner, 51
Shops are open, and people go on with their daily lives. But there aren’t any tourists.
The off-season is here, despite all the beautiful baroque buildings, elegant palaces, and Roman mosaics. It seems that heatwave tourism is not a thing in Sevilla province – not yet.
By 10.30am people still cling to the shade and creep along the walls as if they were hiding in the shadows. Around 36C was reached at this time.
Midday, the town is a ghost. It’s like a scene from one of those old westerns, in which everyone knows there’s a gunfight imminent and disappears behind their curtains – except for the Olive Press.
We’re not brave. We were just unaware.
READ MORE ‘It spiked by 3C in 90 minutes’: Weather expert casts doubt on Spain’s new 46C June record
When the temperature reaches 40C, it really begins to hammer down around 2pm.
The tables and chairs are still out – but no one is sitting on them. Ecija residents are found inside, in air-conditioned comfort.
“I was born here, I grew up in this – but obviously I suffer,” Tamara, 24, a waitress in the main square, tells the Olive Press.
It’s a good thing that no one uses the tables on the plaza in the morning. I can run around less. But it’s still hard.”
READ MORE The number of days in Spain that will be above 40C at the start of June doubles all previous records COMBINED
Is this a new phenomenon in the grip of the heatwave? The choral response from everyone we spoke with in the town was ‘no – it’s the same heat as always.’
As usual. However, the heat this summer has been earlier than expected.
In the afternoon, news comes through that Spain has broken its heat record for June – 200km to the west.
READ MORE Spain’s new June provisional record is 46C, while Portugal and France are on red alert.
Ecija didn’t reach 46C while El Granado did.
Spain was still frying in a hot pan. It was hot enough, but not hot enough for an egg to be fried.
By 4pm all the bars had closed, and the central square was sweltering under the sun.
It was not enough to just sit on a stone bench to fry your behind. We cracked an omelet onto the hot surface.
The egg white started to bubble? The edges of the egg white should have turned white. Does the yoke become harder? The short answer is no. In the end, we had an egg mess all over a bench.
It wasn’t a record-breaking heat, but dealing was still part of everyday life. It wasn’t until after 9pm that the town began to come alive again.
“Here we live by the night,” Jon Mihail, a Romanian couple preparing to go out on Saturday night, told Olive Press.
“Yes, at first it was difficult, but you only have to do it for two months of the year.”
They may have to increase their endurance in future years due to the early nature of the heatwave.
The Olive Press Travel News: Click Here to Read More.
