Summer sizzle: Alicante’s ‘Caribbean’ waters hit record highs

Alicante is experiencing an unusually warm summer, with sea temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius, three degrees above the historical average for this time of year.

This warm water, often described as a “summer broth,” is making the Mediterranean coast feel more like the Caribbean.

Warm Nights

The elevated sea temperatures are not just affecting the comfort of swimmers, who find the water lacks its usual refreshing coolness, but also contributing to increasingly warm nights, where temperatures remain above 25 degrees Celsius.

This pattern is not unique to Alicante; much of the Mediterranean is experiencing similar conditions.

For example, in northern Corsica, water temperatures are up to six degrees higher than usual, while the southeastern coast of Spain is seeing a three-degree anomaly.

Currently, Mediterranean waters are holding steady at 27 to 28 degrees Celsius, as recorded by coastal measurement buoys.

Heat Waves

Experts suggest that this warming is closely linked to the heat waves sweeping across the peninsula, creating a feedback loop that raises temperatures both in the sea and the air.

There is little expectation for a significant drop in these temperatures in the near future, indicating that the summer of 2024 could end with some of the highest water temperature records ever observed in Alicante.

Extreme Conditions

The province had already seen a record high at the end of August 2023, with sea temperatures surpassing 30 degrees Celsius.

This trend points to a future where such extreme conditions may become increasingly common.