Spain's weather agency called 47°C, but real temperatures hit only 39°C
AEMET, Spain's weather agency, forecast 47°C in the southeast, then lowered it to 44°C, yet a home thermometer read just 39°C. Mistake or strategy?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Spain's weather agency called 47°C, but real temperatures hit only 39°C
The latest heatwave announced by AEMET (Spain's state meteorological agency) was billed as historic: 47°C in the southeast, something never seen before. But at 15:24, while headlines were still warning of infernal temperatures, a mercury thermometer in an inner courtyard read 39°C. The agency had backtracked hours earlier, lowering its forecast to 43-44°C, but even so, reality came in eight degrees below.
The episode has rekindled scepticism towards weather warnings, with criticism ranging from technical error to suspicion of "information terrorism" — a term coined in sceptical circles. The homemade measurement, taken with a craft-beer thermometer, has become the "precision instrument" that dismantles the red alert.
This year, according to the records, only one temperature record has been broken: the premature June one in Bilbao. The announced heatwaves keep deflating. The third heatwave that was supposed to be the worst has come to nothing. Between the "lie specialist" and responsible prevention, AEMET has a credibility problem that more alerts will not fix.
The latest heatwave announced by AEMET (Spain's state meteorological agency) was billed as historic: 47°C in the southeast, something never seen before. But at 15:24, while headlines were still warning of infernal temperatures, a mercury thermometer in an inner courtyard read 39°C. The agency had backtracked hours earlier, lowering its forecast to 43-44°C, but even so, reality came in eight degrees below.
The episode has rekindled scepticism towards weather warnings, with criticism ranging from technical error to suspicion of "information terrorism" — a term coined in sceptical circles. The homemade measurement, taken with a craft-beer thermometer, has become the "precision instrument" that dismantles the red alert.
This year, according to the records, only one temperature record has been broken: the premature June one in Bilbao. The announced heatwaves keep deflating. The third heatwave that was supposed to be the worst has come to nothing. Between the "lie specialist" and responsible prevention, AEMET has a credibility problem that more alerts will not fix.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (65 replies).
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