The solar tower plants in Sanlucar la Mayor, Spain had plenty of fuel on September 5th when the temperature at a nearby site may have set a new European monthly heat record of 46.4°C (115.5°F) on September 5th if valid.
© WikicommonsThe solar tower plants in Sanlucar la Mayor, Spain had plenty of fuel on September 5th when the temperature at a nearby site may have set a new European monthly heat record of 46.4°C (115.5°F) on September 5th if valid.
An intense heat wave has occurred in recent days in the Iberian Peninsula with a site in Spain, Sanlucar La Mayor, measuring 46.4°C (115.5°F) on Monday, September 5th. This (if verified) would be the hottest temperature ever observed anywhere in Europe during the month of September. THE SANLUCAR LA MAYOR TEMPERATURE IS APPEARING DUBIOUS. HOWEVER, THE 45.7°C (114.3°F) REPORTED FROM MONTORO, SPAIN MAY BE RELIABLE AND THUS A NEW SEPTEMBER HEAT RECORD FOR EUROPE REGARDLESS. Portugal broke its September monthly heat record with 45.0°C (113.0°F) at Lousa Airport on September 6th. A few days earlier amazing heat also prevailed in the Middle East with Mitribah, Kuwait reaching 51.2°C (124.2°F) on September 4th. This would be the 2nd hottest temperature ever reliably measured on Earth during the month of September. Here are some more details.

The daily climate table for September 5th at Sanlucar La Mayor (population 15,000) located in southern Spain about 30 miles (50 km) due west of Seville.
The daily climate table for September 5th at Sanlucar La Mayor (population 15,000) located in southern Spain about 30 miles (50 km) due west of Seville.

Spain, Portugal, and Morocco September 4-6

An intense dome of upper-level high pressure centered over southwestern Europe (with the 0°C isotherm as high as 5100 meters measured over Nimes in southern France) has resulted in an unprecedented September heat wave in Spain, Portugal, and parts of Morocco. On September 5th the Spanish site of Sanlucar la Mayor (an agrometeorological station which is in a way the equivalent of a 'COOP' site in the U.S.) measured 46.4°C (115.5°F). If valid, this would be the hottest temperature ever observed in Europe during September, surpassing the (possibly unreliable) reading of 45.6°C (114.1°F) measured at San Severo, Italy (in the Apulia region) during September 1946. At first order weather sites the maximum temperature measured was 45.7°C (114.3°F) at Montoro, Spain which would be a new European record even if the Sanlucar La Mayor value was disallowed. As we look at the data from Sanlucar la Mayor it is becoming apparent that this was likely a dubious measurement.

On September 4th extreme heat was also observed at Seville (44.8°C/112.6°F) and Cordoba with a 45.7°C (114.2°F). The airport at the popular island and tourist destination of Ibiza observed 38.4°C (101.1°F) which smashed its previous all-time (any month) record of 36.6°C (97.9°F). Madrid peaked at a steamy 39.6°C (103.3°F) at its Getafe site on September 5th.

In Portugal a new September monthly heat record was broken at Lousa Airport on September 6th with a 45.0°C (113.0°F), the previous national record (prior to this heat wave) being 44.2°C (111.6°F) at the town of Beja. An all-time (any month) heat record was established at Setubal also on September 5th with a 43.5°C (110.3°F) reading. Lisbon peaked at 38.5°C (101.3°F) on September 4th. The hottest temperature ever reliably measured in Portugal was 47.4°C (117.3°F) at Amareleja during the famous deadly heat wave of August 2003. Across the Strait of Gibraltar, the airport at Fez, in Morocco achieved its all-time (any month) heat record with a 45.1°C (113.2°F) on September 4th.

Wild fires in the region have prompted some inflammatory headlines in Europe such as this from a U.K. newspaper "Europe in Flames as huge wildfires rage out of control in Portugal, France, and Spain." This is an on-going situation as I write so am not able to comment in more detail about the fires at this time.