Summer Days Of The Living Dead

Muro town is typically one of the hottest places in Mallorca. It in fact holds the record for having registered the highest ever temperature on the island - plus 44 degrees in July 1994.

Just look at that number. A thermometer value of over 44 degrees is a temperature at which human existence is threatened. Mercifully, the temperatures in Mallorca only rarely exceed 40 degrees, but were they to for any length of time, then the casualty wards and the undertakers would struggle. Yet, for all that such excessive temperatures are not the norm, excessive values are regularly reported. When a reading is taken in the sun, then these are hardly surprising.

Over the weeks of this summer's heatwave, Muro's neighbour, Sa Pobla, has recorded the highest temperature, one of over 40C on 27 July. The interior towns are hotter than the coastal resorts for fairly obvious reasons, but at times the degree to which the interior degrees are greater is striking; it can be anything up to four or five degrees.

A brief report in "Ultima Hora" yesterday confirmed that Muro and Sa Pobla are Mallorca's hottest spots (or are during the current heatwave). What do the people of these towns do when the thermometer has gone over the 100 Fahrenheit mark and is edging towards the 40 mark in new money? Very little is the answer. And what is done is done before it gets too hot to do anything.

For those of us who live and work in Mallorca, arranging days according to how hot it is going to be is a familiar story, assuming you are in a position to be able to arrange your day in such a way. The best time to do work that requires concentration is the early morning, but this brings with it attendant problems. Getting up early requires going to bed early, but no one does.

Siesta is supposed to compensate for this burning of both ends, but it only does so if you are able to have a siesta or indeed that you are able to fall asleep during the day. I, for one, cannot. Or not for any longer than a couple of minutes.

Sleep deprivation is what causes what you get come August. Workers, bar owners, many tourists enter a state of the living dead. They don't suffer from heat exhaustion as such, just the exhaustion brought about by lack of sleep, some of which is self-inflicted. At the height of summer, at the height of the temperatures, 24-hour party people come out to play, and even those who don't want to join the party become a part of it; nights and nights with far too little sleep.

It is the heat, though, which is the main cause of the debilitation and enervation, and for those in the interior the heat is that much more debilitating. Think for a moment and wonder if climate change were to produce what it is said it will, how hot it might be.

In an interior town such as Muro the afternoon heat is colossal. The shallow wetlands of Albufera, far from supplying a cooling effect, have the opposite effect. One study of wetlands discovered that daytime temperatures within and by wetlands can be higher by two to three degrees. This may well help to explain why Muro and Sa Pobla are typically Mallorca's hottest places.

Years ago, I found myself in Muro at around two o'clock on one particularly savage afternoon. It may be the mind playing tricks, but I'm sure that the square in front of the church wasn't paved then. Maybe I imagined it not to have been or maybe I had been affected by the heat. But I remember it as though it were a scene from a spaghetti western. Unusually for a square, it doesn't have bars or cafes surrounding it. There was not a soul to be seen. The place was dead, totally dead. And baking hot and dusty. I expected a Morricone soundtrack to play and Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef to suddenly appear menacingly at one corner of the square. Or Rik Mayall and Peter Richardson to materialise from behind the church and ask "tell me, amigo, what's the meanest, nastiest hotel for two mean, ugly, gunslinging bastards like us to stay in?".

It was how one imagined Spain to be, and it didn't disappoint. It was hellish, merciless and unrelenting heat. It was heat that was unprecedented, when temperatures really were heading into the mid-40s. It was July 1994. A summer day of the living dead like no other.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 24 August 2012

Early temperatures ranging from 20 to 25 on what will be another scorching day, a yellow alert, so a downgrade of yesterday's orange. The weekend will remain hot, though there is due to be a slight fall in the temperature. Into next week, sunny and still hot.

Afternoon update: The high today has been in Pollensa (36.8) with coastal temperatures generally three degrees or more lower except in what are the typically hotter coastal areas on Alcúdia bay in the Can Picafort/Colonia area, where the highs have been up to 36. Tomorrow may now have more cloud than previously forecast, and while the temperatures will fall this weekend, they are set to rise once more next week.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 23 August 2012

Not as oppressive overnight and quite a fresh feel at 07.30, temperatures varying across the area between 20 and 25. The orange alert for today means some very high values, so 40 is quite possible in some parts. The outlook still suggests very hot weather, though there is meant to be a drop in temperatures on Sunday and just a slight chance of a shower.

Afternoon update: Well, not necessarily as hot as had been anticipated. Sa Pobla has knocked in a 39.5 high, but the coastal areas have varied between 30 and 35.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 22 August 2012

It felt particularly last night though the humidity was relatively low; midnight temperatures were still nudging 30. Early morning, 07.30, and the area maximum is nearly 26 on what may well be a hotter day than yesterday when Sa Pobla went over the 100F mark and Colonia Sant Pere registered 39.1 (around 102F). It is forecast to cool down somewhat by Sunday though the five-day forecast is still predicting temperatures over 30 come Monday.

Afternoon update: Highs today up towards 39C. There is now an orange alert for tomorrow which could mean going over the 40 mark and so increased risk to health.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 21 August 2012

A rather fresher feel to the morning, sunny with highs of 25 and 26 at 08.30. The yellow alert remains in place for high temperatures today but not for tomorrow, though temperatures will still be into the 30s. There is due to be a fall in temperatures at the weekend by up to four degrees on Sunday.

Afternoon update: It has topped the 100F mark, 38.3 in Sa Pobla this afternoon. Coastal highs at about 35, but the humidity has been much lower. 

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 20 August 2012

Quite cloudy first up, but already by 08.30 around 27 or 28 degrees. The yellow advice is still in place and will be for the whole of the week, there being no indication of any real change in what is proving to be one of the hottest Augusts on record.

Afternoon update: The cloud lingered for some of another very hot day, but sun out by the afternoon. Highs - 36.5 Sa Pobla, 34.4 on the coast. 

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 19 August 2012

Very little to say that is any different. A high at 08.30 of 25.6, humidity up somewhat from yesterday but not oppressive, sun all the way and hot. Ditto the week ahead. The cloud that the forecast had suggested might be around this morning isn't around.

Afternoon update: With hot winds this afternoon, a real boiler, the highest temperature having been 37.3 in Albufera. 

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 18 August 2012

The humidity is much lower this morning, but temperatures high - 25.8 the coastal top at 08.45. More mid 30s on the cards for later. Just a chance of some cloud tomorrow morning but without rain. Otherwise, cloudless and high temperatures into and through next week.

Afternoon update: Blisteringly hot. 36.2 inland in Sa Pobla and 33.2 on the coasts.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 17 August 2012

Quite misty early on, but the mist will quickly clear, though it's a reflection of the very high humidity. 23.7 the high at 07.45, maximums today, with the yellow alert in place, into the mid 30s or maybe higher, and there really is no sign of any change well into next week.

Afternoon update: Today's high has been 35.8 in Sa Pobla. Early cloud kept things cooler but there was still the humidity, and the cloud went, giving coastal highs of 32 and up. 

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 16 August 2012

Very close again overnight and there is a high at 09.00 of 26.3, humidity levels lower than during the night and currently around the 80 mark. Hot again today, into the low 30s, and hotter still tomorrow with no obvious change on the cards.

Afternoon update: Not outlandishly hot with an area high of 33.2, but still very close and temperatures due to rise tomorrow and into Saturday. 

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 15 August 2012

Humid overnight and this morning, 24.8 the high at 08.00 on what will be a fine, sunny, hot day, just the day to celebrate a fiesta (Mare de Déu d'Agost), go for a swim off the Mar y Paz in Can Picafort and catch some rubber ducks (or even some live ones?).

Afternoon update: Seriously warm all day. Inland highs to 35, and the Colonia Sant Pere tradition for being the hottest coastal area was maintained by beating even the inland high, 35.7. Another yellow advice has been issued for Friday (meaning it's going to get even hotter?)

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 14 August 2012

22.9 at 08.15. Very little more to say than the forecast for today and the rest of the week is for clear blue skies and hot temperatures, the yellow alert being turned on tomorrow.

Afternoon update: Certainly a warm day, though not as humid. 34.8 the inland high in Sa Pobla. 33.2 the highest in coastal areas (Colonia Sant Pere).

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 13 August 2012

Another close morning, 25 plus at 09.00. The week's forecast is for sun all the way and temperatures remaining in the low 30s.

Afternoon update: 30.5 the Sa Pobla high and only slightly lower on the coasts at 29.7. A new yellow alert for high temperatures is out from Wednesday.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 12 August 2012

Quite a lot of light cloud but due to clear away on a morning with a high of 25.7 at 08.15. The advice is out again for high temperatures, though these haven't been as high on the coasts as might have been anticipated. The outlook for the week is remaining hot.

Afternoon update: Not as hot today. A good deal of light cloud along with the sun perhaps keeping things cooler. 32.7 inland in Sa Pobla and just touching 30 on the coasts. 

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 11 August 2012

25 is about the high on the coasts at 08.15 on a less humid morning. The breezes are predominantly northerly, so very high temperatures may not be as likely as had been predicted, though the yellow alerts are still out for today and tomorrow.

Afternoon update: While it has been very hot inland - 37.1 in Sa Pobla - it has been far less so on the coasts with a high of 31.8.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 10 August 2012

23.7 the coastal high on a clear and still morning. The yellow advice is in place for high temperatures today. While coastal values of 33 are being forecast, they are likely to be greater. Staying hot into tomorrow and due to cool off a bit on Sunday.

Afternoon update: Well, not quite as hot as had been forecast. 34.2 inland in Sa Pobla, 31.7 on the coasts. Still hot enough and the yellow alert remains in place through into Sunday.

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 1 August 2012

24 degrees the local high at 08.15. A cloudless sky and remaining clear and getting hot, the yellow alert suggesting temperatures into the mid-30s. The dominant breeze, not that there is one this morning, is now northerly, so the heat shouldn't be as suffocating as when there is a southerly. The outlook stays fine, though there is the likelihood of some cloud later today and into tomorrow, and very warm, the heatwave due to give way to a fall in temperature on Friday, especially in the north-east of the island.

Afternoon update: So, pretty serious heat today. In the Muro area, it peaked at 100F (37.9), coastal highs at 34.2. 

MALLORCA TODAY - Weather Alcúdia and Pollensa 19 July 2012

We have a local high of 23.3C at 08.00 and a southerly, so more big values on the cards for later this sunny day; indeed there is an alert out for high temperatures. Looking ahead - cloud due to come on Sunday and into next week but remaining very warm.

Afternoon update: Pretty much as you were with the high temperatures. Very similar to yesterday. 36.1C in Sa Pobla, and a coastal high at the Puerto Pollensa base of 33.5C.

Hot House: High temperatures (wrongly) and wrong rubbish

Here we go. The weather season is upon us. It never leaves us of course, but it peaks as peak summer arrives along with peak temperatures. The question is, though, what are those peak temperatures and how accurate are they, especially those which get reported from unofficial sources, i.e. anyone other than the local met boys who are, despite met office reputations wherever you may care to mention, the only ones who can be vaguely relied upon.

It has become quite warm, there's no doubt about that. Sweaty, sweaty. No doubt. But the current heat is nothing unusual; indeed it feels pretty normal and not excessive. However, the weather season demands a rather different take. Among figures that have been thrown about, erroneously, we have had anything from mid-30s to mid-40s. Or approximately 95 to 115 in old money. If the temperature were, or had been, in the mid-40s, then one might have expected that people would have started to drop like flies. Indeed, you might not be reading this, as I would have evaporated. Mid-40s is danger territory. You would also have expected there to be issued some serious health warnings and advice.

None of this has happened, because the temperature hasn't been anything like on this scale. Official numbers are barely breaking the 30 degree barrier (86); quite normal and quite hot enough, thank you very much. And where they have, inland, they do not compare with the coast where it is always cooler.

Last year's great weather event in terms of heat saw a maximum of a bit over 42 degrees in Sa Pobla. That was serious heat, yet some reports had it so high (on the coast) that the temperature was equivalent to that which the poor sods fighting in Afghanistan have to endure - nudging the 50 mark.

I suppose it is partly down to the reliability, or not, of one's measuring device. As I write, in the middle of the afternoon, mine is showing 84 in old money, 29 in new. Maybe it's too low. I can't honestly say. But it seems about right and seems the same as it has been for a few days; it is the same figure, as it turns out, coming from the local weather station. The thermometer is, and has been, in the shade, which is of course what is actually measured.

Still, the temperatures are due to rise - 88 by Wednesday is one forecast. So, expect some danger levels to be bandied about, well above 31 Celsius. We should be careful what we wish for where temperatures are concerned. At mid-80s, they are about manageable. Sometime in the not too distant future, those really high temperatures might just start to become the norm. Then you'll really know about serious heat.


A load of rubbish
Look at the photo here. What is wrong with it? Some of you might recall a similar photo some time ago. The issue is getting worse, because what is wrong is that the bin on the left shouldn't have any garden stuff in it; it is for household waste only. This bin was emptied yesterday; by the evening it was full to overflowing. Partly, this is just downright selfishness, but it is also the case that the garden bin gets emptied only irregularly and that the garden rubbish that has gone into the one on the left has mainly come from a house that had not been occupied for some months, i.e. a holiday home. You can, to a point, forgive them if there is nowhere else to put the rubbish.

However, it is not that long ago that there was no separate bin for garden stuff, and that the household bin was emptied every day, which it still is, but only in season, and which isn't the point anyway. Then there is the fact that the rubbish tax has risen considerably. For what, exactly? And then there is another point. Some gardens are large, with all manner of plants, trees, lawns, you name it; other gardens are not large without bloody great trees. Some householders do not fill a bin with their own stuff, knowing that it is somewhat selfish. Like me, who does not have trees, but hedges which keep on not getting cut down because the bloody garden bin gets filled up as soon as it's emptied. There is also the fact that the above photo gives lie to the idea that Mallorca has suddenly become fabulously recycling conscious and also gives lie to the campaign by the town hall to inform residents of the different bins by sending someone round with a leaflet and a form that you had to sign to say that you had been told about it. Fat lot of use when it's done in winter.

I have a solution, and I shall send this photo to Muro town hall, along with my solution. This is - a garden tax. The town hall sends the boys round, checks all gardens for size, number of trees etc., and then sends out the bills. That'll learn 'em.


QUIZ:
Yesterday - The fantastically insane "Rock Lobster", The B52s, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhJzX0UgDM


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.