The Balearic heatwave is set to continue

Majorca is going to get hotter, that's according to new Met Office figures which show that in the next two weeks, the island's temperatures will be way up on last years. Heat levels on Majorca at the moment are slightly higher than they have been throughout summers over the past thirty years. This rise is blamed on global warming, a process in which gasses in the atmosphere (such as CO2) are trapping more heat around the earth instead of letting it disperse properly. This process is causing weather patterns all over the world to alter, bring freak heatwaves, storms and other catastrophic natural disturbances. Already this summer, the temperatures have crept above last years. August is typically the hottest month for the Balearics, but in July, the temperatures in Portocolom and Capdepera were already 2 degrees higher than last years August readings. On the third of August this year at midnight, the temperature was 13% higher than in recorded previous years. The humidity has also risen to 60%-95% which makes the weather feel 3-5 degrees hotter than it actually is. Experts say thet as well as global warming, hot air blowing in from Africa is also keeping the thermometers high. They estimate that the air temperature in Majorca is going up 1 to 2 degrees every summer and that this year, all previous heat records will be broken in the next few weeks. The heat has had various damaging effects on Majorcan life, the gravest being the water shortage. An annual problem faced by the island's residents, water supply in the summer trickles to a near standstill. At the beginning of the season, residents in areas such as Algaida were already complaining that their water was being rationed to only 2 hours a day. Some homes have no water at all and have to pay to have their water tanks filled by mobile services. This problem can only get worse as the heat continues to rise and tourists still flock to the island. Hotels still water their lawns and fill their pools so the visitors can relax in the sun, but those who live here year round do not fare as well. Turn up the A/C, invest in a fan and try to keep cool, as the almost unbearable heat is only going to get hotter.