Spain heatwaves ‘almost impossible’ without man-made climate change

The record-breaking temperatures in Spain, Portugal and across the western Mediterranean last week would have been “almost impossible” without climate change caused by people, scientists have said.

A rapid study by an international team led by Friederike Otto, of Imperial College London, found that the global warming made the temperatures experienced at the end of April at least 100 times more likely to occur, although their best estimates were much higher.

Temperatures at Cordoba in southern Spain rose to 38.8C on April 27, a temperature more typical of July and August. It smashed previous Spanish mainland records for April.

• Are we about to follow Spain into a heatwave?

As well as Spain, the heatwave extended across Portugal, Morocco and Algeria, with some areas up