Spain recorded its warmest January since then official data entry began in 1961, with the average temperature last month standing at 8.4 degrees Celsius, 0.4 degrees higher than the previous record in 2016, it was announced today by the environment ministry.

The temperature in mainland Spain also exceeded the 1991-2020 average for this month by 2.4 degrees.

Unseasonably warm mid-winter weather led the inhabitants to the beaches and in outdoor cafes throughout Spain.

The environment ministry announced that the weather was “extremely warm” in the southern and central part of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in the subtropical Canary Islands. It was “very warm” in the north and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, while it remained “at normal levels” only in some parts of the Ebro River Valley in the northeast.

In December, temperatures across Spain had already broken records, with the mercury approaching 30 degrees Celsius in the south, delaying the start of the ski season. The dry and sunny weather also worsened the already long drought in the regions of Catalonia and Andalusia.