Granollers offers an interactive climate shelters map

In the context of the scorching heat wave blanketing Spain, this is now a basic necessity

Summer hasn’t even officially started yet Spain is already in the throes of its first heat wave for the season, reportedly the earliest such in the past four decades. Municipal authorities across the country have issued warnings and advice to people on how to best mitigate the harmful effects of the rising temperatures.

One such is the city of Granollers, in the region of Catalonia, whose authorities have published an interactive online map showing the exact locations of places where people can find respite from the heat. These spots are the so-called ‘climate shelters’ (refugis climàtics).

Cool salvation a click away

The Granollers City Council has compiled a collection of climate shelters in the city, a network of spaces where citizens can find lower temperatures in times of heat episodes such as the one experienced these days.

For example, the municipal buildings, which have longer opening hours and where air conditioning is available, have been listed. A collection has also been made of all the green spaces that provide shade and fountains and where the temperature is lower than in other parts of the city.

With all this information, an interactive map has been developed (available on the municipal website), which indicates all these climate shelters (with their characteristics and opening hours, in the case of public buildings). Thus, green spaces are marked with green dots and municipal facilities with orange dots.

"While extreme heat is not unknown in June, the fact is that heat waves have become five times more frequent in the 21st century," explained Ruben del Campo, AEMET’s (Spain’s meteorological agency) spokesperson, as quoted by Reuters.

The agency also sent out a warning saying the heat wave could feel even worse across the country due to the presence of sand and dust in the air coming from the Sahara Desert.