Europe May Have Set an All-Time September Record High Monday

Chris Dolce
Published: September 7,2016
Spain saw incredibly hot temperatures early this week that may have rewritten the record books for September across the entire European continent.
A high of 115.5 degrees Fahrenheit (46.4 degrees Celsius) was observed near Sanlucar La Mayor in southwest Spain on Monday. If this temperature is verified, it would be a new all-time September temperature record for Europe, according to Christopher Burt of wunderground.com. For comparison, the average high in nearby Seville, Spain, during early September is about 90 degrees.
(MORE: Extreme European September Heat)
The current standing record hottest temperature in Europe for the month of September is 114.1 degrees Fahrenheit (45.5 degrees Celsius) in San Severo, Italy, during 1946, Burt said.
Even if the 115.5 degree reading at Sanlucar La Mayor is deemed unreliable, another location would be in the running for the all-time Europe record. Montoro, Spain, reached 114.3 degrees Fahrenheit (45.7 degrees Celsius) which would also top the previous record.
For perspective, average highs in Death Valley, California, during early July or mid-August are about 115 degrees.

The possible record was set thanks to a ridge of high pressure (blue H) was in place, leading to the extreme heat.

The intense heat wave was caused by an area of high pressure aloft centered across western Europe that was sandwiched between low pressure to its east and west. Underneath the area of high pressure air sinks and warms, leading to very hot temperatures.
A damaging wildfire near Valencia, Spain, broke out over the weekend during the hot and dry weather pattern. It topped out near 100 degrees there on Sunday and Monday. Average highs in the city are typically in the low 80s during September.
(MORE: Wildfire in Spain)
Burt added that in neighboring Portugal an all-time record high for September was set for the country in Alacer do Sal on Monday. The high was 112.1 degrees Fahrenheit (44.5 degrees Celsius), topping the previous record for the country of 111.6 degrees Fahrenheit (44.2 degrees Celsius).
In northern Africa, the same ridge of high pressure also established a new heat record for any month of the year in Morocco. This was set in Fez which recorded a high of 113.2 degrees Fahrenheit (45.1 degrees Celsius) on Sunday.

PHOTOS: September Wildfire in Spain