The province of Tarragona, like the rest of Catalonia, has experienced one of the hottest Junes in recent years, with a high number of tropical nights. These nights are characterized by minimum temperatures that do not drop below 20 ºC. According to data from the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteocat), only the stations in Prades and Ulldecona have recorded minimums below this threshold.
At the Catalan level, 69.5% of stations have registered tropical nights, the highest figure since 2003. The province of Tarragona shows the highest percentage. The Els Alfacs station (Montsià) recorded 22 tropical nights, surpassed only by the one in Raval, Barcelona (23). However, Tarragona has not yet registered any torrid nights (minimums above 25 ºC), which have occurred in Barcelona, Badalona, and Mataró.
Extreme temperatures were not limited to the nights. In June, heat levels were reached that have set historical records in several parts of Catalonia, especially in the south. L'Aldea (36.6 ºC) and els Alfacs (34.7 ºC) surpassed their June records.
The highest maximum temperature in the province was recorded in Vinebre, with 41.8 ºC, making it the fifth highest in Catalonia. The municipality of Ribera d'Ebre is the only one outside the province of Lleida to have exceeded 40 ºC for three days. El Masroig (40.4 ºC) and Torroja del Priorat (41.5 ºC) also reached temperatures above 40 ºC.
The counties of Priorat and Ribera d'Ebre concentrate the highest maximum temperatures, exceeding 38.9 degrees in all their stations. In contrast, Amposta recorded the lowest maximum (32.1 ºC) but with 17 tropical nights. In Tarragona city, maximums reached 34.6 degrees with 13 tropical nights.
This start to summer has been described as 'exceptionally hot' by the Monthly Bulletin of June from Meteocat. Furthermore, high levels of dryness and solar irradiation above normal have been recorded, especially in the south of the province. The month of July has begun with a new heatwave that could break new records.
