During the month of July, temperatures in much of the country are quite unbearable. And this week we will be no exception. Today the mercury readings were almost reaching 40 degrees in many area of Spain..
However these temperatures can't be considered record temperatures by any means, Montoro in Cordoba holds the record for Spain with 47,3 degrees. However, almost certainly over the days to come, we will see street thermometers on all the television news channels with readings close to 50 degrees.
These street thermometers, which are often placed in bus shelters, central squares or advertising columns without a shadow of a doubt are giving wrong readings, very wrong readings and give the viewer information that is very far from reality.
The main reasons why we should never rely on this type of equipment, which in most cases only lead to confusion, is very simple, yet obvious. The sensors which measure the temperature in these street thermometers are located within a metal enclosure, often dark in colour and with no ventilation. Therefore, if the solar rays impact on this device, it is quite normal that the temperature displayed is higher, even up to 10 degrees warmer than the actual air temperature around it.
On a hot sunny day, you just need to put your hand on a dark surface and see for yourselves what happens. In Spain, you could fry an egg. Another reason is that these thermometers are placed very close to the asphalt, which stores heat and gives off a temperature much higher than the real air temperature, which is effectively the only value worth measuring in meteorology.
You may be surprised, and I am sure I am not the only one to have seen thermometers over 50ºC many summers but never has there been an official recording of a temperature that high anywhere in the country.
So, be wary of these thermometers! They tell lies. The Official meteorological sources suggest that these panels be purely informative and advertise the official reading provided by the AEMET, the official weather agency. So Spain isn't as hot as we thought it was… :)