The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has warned about the "extremely high" sea water temperatures in Málaga, which are "well above normal" for this time of year. The buoy at the port of Málaga recorded 28.8 degrees Celsius this past Tuesday, a figure described as "incredible" by Aemet.
This figure is close to the historic record of 29.1 degrees Celsius, reached on August 7, 2015, along the Costa del Sol. The data confirms the warming trend of the Mediterranean Sea, with August temperatures typically exceeding the normal average for the capital by four to five degrees, which is set between 24 and 25 degrees Celsius.
In the last five years, water temperatures have consistently hovered around 28 degrees Celsius, with readings such as 28.4 degrees in August 2022 and 27.9 in 2023.
According to Francisco Franco, director of the Coastal Sciences Chair of the Costa del Sol at the University of Málaga (UMA), the high temperature recorded on Tuesday is explained by a succession of easterly winds (Levante), which, unlike the westerly winds (Terral), heat the water. He noted that the warmest surface layer of the sea, heated directly by solar radiation, has been accumulating along the coast, and even though the wind shifted to westerly winds on Wednesday, these temperatures persisted.
Temperatures are expected to drop drastically starting this Thursday, as the westerly winds will push the surface water layer further out to sea, replacing it with water from deeper layers. This phenomenon is anticipated to cause a decrease of about three degrees Celsius in Málaga's waters, particularly noticeable along the Western Costa del Sol.
