Spain recorded its warmest January since records began in 1961, with the average temperature last month reaching 8.4 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees Celsius above the previous record set in 2016, Reuters reported, citing Agerpres.

Temperatures in mainland Spain also exceeded the 1991-2020 average for this month by 2.4 degrees Celsius. Unseasonably warm mid-winter weather draws people to beaches and outdoor cafes across Spain.

The environment ministry in Madrid said the weather was “extremely warm” in the south and center of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in the subtropical Canary Islands. The weather was “very warm” in the north and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, and “normal” for the period only in some regions in the north-east of the Ebro Valley.

In December, the temperature in Spain has already broken records, as a mass of warm air descended on the country, the mercury column reached 30 degrees Celsius in the south, which led to a delay in the start of the ski season.

Dry and sunny weather also exacerbated the prolonged drought in the regions of Catalonia and Andalusia.

Scientists have linked the high temperature, dry and windy weather that has affected several regions of the world, including southern Europe, to climate change.

2023 was the warmest year on record since meteorological records began, and likely the warmest in 100,000 years, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.