Air temperatures

Another extreme heatwave is ongoing in Western Europe, with many temperature records being broken in Portugal and Spain. According to the national meteorological organisation of Portugal (IPMA), the Pinhão weather station recorded an air temperature of 47°C on 14 July, setting a new July record for the country.

The previous maximum value for the month was 46.5°C, reached in Amareleja, Alentejo, in 1995. On 12 July, the city of Ourense in north western Spain set its all-time temperature record with 43.2°C.

But the national official maximum value is still in Amareleja, 47,3 °C in August 1st, 2003.

LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURES

The Land Surface Temperature (LST) in some areas of Spain exceeded 59°C and reached 48°C in southern France on 14 July 2022, as highlighted in this data visualisation of measurements from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) instrument.

NB: The LST is the temperature of the soil and should not be confused with air temperature. However, the high air temperatures are reflected in land surface temperature values.

The Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission is composed of two twin satellites (Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B) both equipped with the SLSTR, an instrument whose main objective is to provide Sea and Land Surface Temperature (SST, LST).