Is the weather news?

"It's August in the south of Spain," say numerous comments on social media when we report on high temperature alerts issued by Spain's state weather agency. "Why are you telling us? It's normal"

Rachel Haynes

Malaga

Friday, 16 August 2024, 13:55

There's no doubt that the weather - whatever the weather - gives us plenty to talk about. Hot or cold, wet or dry, it's the ... first topic of conversation when people get together.

In fact the weather, however predictable, saves us from countless moments of awkwardness. With a neighbour in the lift, especially when you're both going up ten floors, it's a life-saver. In the waiting room at the health centre, uttering a "¡Qué calor!" as you reach for your fan - or "¡Qué frío!" when the aircon is too high - immediately unites a group of otherwise very different people.

The weather is one thing that everyone understands and experiences; the fact that some suffer more than others leads to more useful conversations that everyone can join in. There are stories about how someone's sister wears a cardigan throughout the winter, about how someone's friend has a cold shower several times a day, or how a couple fight over whether to sleep with the fan on or not. The warm terral wind comes every now and then to add some spice to the conversation. In fact, locals of the Malaga coastline are deep down quite fond and proud of this unique weather phenomenon that sends temperatures in the opposite direction to those in the rest of Spain. A summer without being able to talk about two or three episodes of feeling a hot hairdryer in your face as you walk down the street would be quite disappointing really.

And if it's not just the heat, if there's been rain, a thunderstorm, strong winds... then the stories to tell are endless. Of course there are some weather-related incidents that go beyond anecdote to tragedy; a fire or a flood, stark reminders that we really are at the mercy of the elements.

It's logical then, that media outlets always have one eye on the weather forecast and the responsibility to help inform the general public when Aemet (Spain's national weather agency) issues a yellow, amber, or even red, warning for extreme temperatures, rain, wind or rough seas.

Here, unfortunately, in the summer, and much of the year, media reports based on the weather forecast can seem a bit dull and repetitive. The only element of note is normally the temperature and indications that it is going to be hot and hotter, sunny and sunnier.

"It's August in the south of Spain," say numerous comments on social media. "Why are you telling us? It's not news, it's normal."

Nevertheless, the fact that the highest temperatures in Spain earlier this week were on the Costa del Sol, or that the thermometer has gone above 40C, is perhaps the one topic that everyone can relate to and that is read by most people.

And without all those news items or social media posts that leave no one indifferent, we would have no ammunition to throw into the often heated (in more ways than one) conversations at the bus stop or the hairdresser's.

By the way, our hard-working friends at Aemet tell us there might be some cloud this weekend on the Costa del Sol. Now there's a headline.

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