Overview
- A buoy off Sa Dragonera registered 33.02 °C at 16:00 on Thursday, a value confirmed by Spain’s Aemet and the port authority that operates the station, though a local meteorologist reported a slightly lower peak of 32.71 °C.
- After the afternoon peak the same station fell to about 29.33 °C overnight and beachgoers say the sea feels like a warm bathtub that no longer cools the coast at night.
- The reading builds on a pattern of unusually warm water in the western Mediterranean that is roughly four degrees above long-term averages and follows the Copernicus report that June 2026 saw a record global average sea-surface temperature.
- Ocean researchers warn very warm surface layers store extra heat and moisture that can strengthen convection, raise the odds of heavy autumn rainfall and medicane formation, and also promote algal and bacterial blooms that can deplete oxygen and kill marine life.
- No major emergency measures have been announced and officials are monitoring conditions, but experts say the next steps to watch are coastal water-quality problems, local health advisories for swimmers, and whether unusually warm autumn waters translate into more intense storms.