The asphalt spits fire, the sidewalk burns and the people of Bilbao are looking for shady oases. Forecasts by the state weather agency (Aemet) came true this Wednesday and the Basque Country, which had a red alert for high temperatures in inland Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa, stayed just outside 40 degrees. In Bilbao, more accustomed to rain and mild temperatures, the carousel of caps, hats and pamelas protecting the heads of brave hikers, often carrying slushies, water or soft drinks, confirms the prediction, which is already two-tenths correct has 39.8° according to the airport weather station. The sun is relentless, amplified by the humidity and the options for resisting the heat wave are limited to going to the sea or cooling off in the springs.
At the Guggenheim Museum, tourists take shelter in the shade of the giant flowered dog, Puppy, the umbrellas are held up against the light rather than the rain, and children amuse themselves under the sprays at the base of the art gallery. Dozens of children run through the water of a fountain that is ideal for hot days and is activated every summer. Juan Pichardo and Teresa Díaz, 65 and 66, keep an eye on their grandchildren and enjoy the splashes of their games. “It’s cool here and they’re having fun,” they say, decked out in bathing suits and towels. Englishman Maxwell Ross, 10 years old and just off the plane from London, doesn’t feel like getting his shirt, trousers and shoes soaked to escape the Basque hell. His father, Simon Cooper, 58, is sweating profusely and his face is turning red. “I didn’t expect such intense heat in northern Spain,” he says. His partner Olya is also not of Serbian descent and responds with a “Wow!” to the news of the high temperature red alert. She’s taking it better, but he was beaten.
“I haven’t experienced the cool and rainy summers that my parents say global warming is taking its toll on,” explains Iñaki Arrieta, 14, on Sopelana Beach. The high temperatures have changed the holidays of Maite and Pedro, two people from Bilbao who say that they used to “go south” in search of warmth, “and now it’s the other way around: people come here”, they comment since the last few summers it has been hot and not raining apart from some sirimiri. Cantabrian breezes ease hot flashes amid gale warning: a huge drop in temperature and unbridled winds in just a few minutes late in the afternoon.
Abandoibarra Fountain in Bilbao, on Wednesday August 9, 2023. Fernando Domingo-Aldama
The north of Spain has experienced very exceptional temperatures this Wednesday. Not only in the Basque Country, where 56 people had to be treated due to the high temperatures, but also in places like the north of Burgos, where the record for the region of 40.1 °C was measured in Medina del Pomar. The thermometer on the central Plaza de Moyúa reads 36° at 12:21 p.m., 41° at 2:01 p.m. and 45° at 3:35 p.m. The mercury suffers from the ravages of the sun, while another thermometer in the benevolent shade leaves the suffocation in the 40ºC Aemet had predicted in Bilbao. Margarita Martín, Basque Meteorological Agency delegate, warns: “The south-east wind is causing temperatures to rise and there may be last-minute storms or severe weather.”
Some trees in the square shelter a Paraguayan family waiting for the bus to the beach. Alexis López and Princesa Escurra, 25 and 26 years old, have been in town for several years and have prepared a blue fridge for the day. “Oranges, apples, juices, water, sodas and pies,” they enumerate along with their recalcitrant nephews, equipped with buckets and rakes. “I feel terrible, I miss the cold!” complains Escurra, while her cousin Claudia López, 22, freshly arrived from Madrid, where there is also a red warning against high temperatures this Wednesday, smiles condescendingly: They will talk to them She’s hot The streets feel empty but the workers are still there. Workers Nacho Tinto and Odei Morillas, 44 and 27, gasp after their first shift. “The heat that there is is not normal! They’ve been reaching 40°C for a couple of summers,” says the first, tired of his sturdy boots and long uniform.
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