Shadow and water. This is what will be most sought after in the coming days in Galicia, which this time is not spared from the second heat wave of the summer after tiptoeing through the first. In the Galician community together with Castilla y León, the Canary Islands, Andalusia and Extremadura, an alert was activated yesterday for temperatures that exceeded 40 degrees. Either in the first line of the sandbanks, where the breeze blows the most, or in the groves of the river beaches, it will be where it is best to survive the extreme heat that will make the mercury rise above 28 degrees in practically the entire Galician geography and that in some municipalities it will reach 41º, according to MeteoGalicia forecasts. Towns such as A Coruña will withstand the highest temperatures so far this year.
Faced with this rise in mercury, the Xunta issued a warning yesterday in 138 municipalities. In 48 —all in the province of Pontevedra— the maximum heat level was activated. In another 90, the alert is level 1, including 38 municipalities in the northwest of A Coruña (Abegondo, Ares, Arteixo, Bergondo, Betanzos, Cabana de Bergantiños, Cambre, Carballo, Cariño, Carral, Cedeira, Cerceda, Cerdido , Coristanco, A Coruña, Culleredo, Fene, Ferrol, Laxe, A Laracha, Malpica, Mañón, Miño, Moeche, Mugardos, Narón, Neda, Oleiros, Ortigueira, Oza-Cesuras, Paderne, Ponteceso, Pontedeume, Sada, San Sadurniño, Valdoviño and Vilarmaior). At this same level are another 33 municipalities in the interior of A Coruña, five in the region of Valdeorras and 13 in the Miño area in Pontevedra.
In the Galician cities, the mercury yesterday moved between 26 degrees in A Coruña and 35 in Ourense, with minimums that seemed more like a spring day, with a night where temperatures ranged between 14º in Lugo and 21 of Vigo. In the city of A Coruña, the night values reached 17 degrees.
The thermometer will be red hot again today. It will be a weekend in which half of Galicia will be on alert for temperatures above 34 degrees and in some areas they will exceed 40 degrees. According to the medium-term weather forecast from MeteoGalicia, the prevalence of high pressures will continue at least until Friday of next week.
Skies today will be slightly cloudy or clear throughout the day throughout the community. The wind will blow from the east and northeast, strong around Cabo Ortegal. Breezes are expected in the Rías Baixas.
Galicia will remain tomorrow under the influence of the anticyclone but will also face the entry of a mass of warm air from the south that will increase the sensation of heat. In the province of Ourense, the Miño area and the Valdeorras area will continue to be on yellow alert due to extreme temperatures (above 36 degrees). The maximum expected in the cities is expected in Ourense (38 degrees), followed by Lugo and Santiago (33), Pontevedra (32) and Ferrol (31). In Vigo the thermometer will reach 29 degrees and in A Coruña, again 28º. As for the minimum, there are spring days that do not even reach those values during the day. In Vigo the night temperatures will be 21 degrees and in A Coruña 17 are expected.
It was not even four in the afternoon when in some Galician towns yesterday it had already reached 35 degrees and in others it was even exceeded. This is the case of Salceda de Caselas (Pontevedra), where at 3:30 p.m. it reached 36.3. While at that time the thermometer in O Porriño, Ponteares and Ourense marked 35.6º.
High temperatures increase the risk of fire
Heat is the great threat to the Galician mountains since high temperatures favor the risk of forest fires. To prevent the flames from devouring the natural wealth of the forests and putting the population at risk, Civil Protection recommends paying attention to the rules of each community; do not throw cigarettes, garbage and glass; do not light fires or bonfires in the mountains and nearby land; camping only in authorized areas; do not enter the forest or mount if there is a fire; and attend to the indications of the competent authorities in case of emergency.
Faced with high temperatures, it is advisable to limit exposure to the sun; keep the place well ventilated; eat light and regular meals, rich in water and mineral salts; frequently drink fluids; wear light colors, covering the largest possible surface of the foot and head; avoid prolonged physical exercises in the middle of the day; take an interest in the elderly and sick; and bear in mind that high temperatures favor the risk of forest fires.
Pay attention to solar radiation data
From the Xunta, the Minister for the Environment, Ángeles Vázquez, invited citizens to enjoy the beaches in a safe and responsible manner, while recalling that MeteoGalicia has included information on ultraviolet radiation, so that it is available to citizens.
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