The summers of 2018 and 2019 were characterized by unusually warm conditions over Europe. Here, we describe the intense heatwaves striking the Iberian Peninsula in early August 2018 and late June 2019. The 2018 episode was relatively short-lived but outstanding in amplitude, particularly in western Iberia. Similar to previous mega-heatwaves, the 2019 event was long-lasting and affected large areas of western and central Europe, including eastern Iberia. During these events, many absolute temperature records were broken in western and eastern Iberia, respectively (some of them standing since 2003). In both cases, a cyclonic circulation off the coast in the northeastern Atlantic and a strong subtropical ridge pattern over the affected area promoted the advection of an anomalously warm air mass. This paper highlights the role of these very warm, stable and dry air intrusions of Saharan origin in the western and eastern Iberia heatwave events. Using a thermodynamical classification based on the geopotential height thickness and potential temperature, we show how the magnitude and poleward extension of these Saharan intrusions were unprecedented in the period since 1948. The relationship between Iberian heatwaves and Saharan warm air intrusions is discussed in the long-term context, showing a closer link in southern sectors of the Peninsula. However, a consistent poleward trend in the latitudinal extension of these subtropical intrusions reveals their increasing relevance for heatwaves in northern sectors of Iberia and western Europe. This overall trend is accompanied by an apparent “see-saw” in the occurrence of subtropical intrusions between eastern and western Iberia on multi-decadal scales.

2018年和2019年夏季的特点是欧洲异常温暖。在这里，我们描述了2018年8月上旬和2019年6月下旬袭击伊比利亚半岛的强烈热浪。2018年的事件相对短暂，但幅度很大，特别是在伊比利亚西部。与之前的巨型热浪相似，2019年的这场持续时间长久，并影响了西欧和中欧的广大地区，包括伊比利亚东部。在这些事件中，伊比利亚西部和东部分别打破了许多绝对温度记录（其中一些自2003年以来一直保持）。在这两种情况下，东北大西洋沿岸的气旋环流和受灾区域上的强烈的亚热带脊型都促进了异常暖空气团的平流。本文重点介绍了这些非常热情的角色，伊比利亚西部和东部热浪事件中来自撒哈拉沙漠的稳定和干燥的空气入侵。使用基于地势高度厚度和潜在温度的热力学分类，我们展示了自1948年以来，这些撒哈拉入侵的规模和极向扩展是前所未有的。术语背景，显示了半岛南部地区的紧密联系。但是，这些亚热带侵入体的纬向扩展始终保持极向趋势，这表明它们与伊比利亚北部地区和西欧的热浪相关性越来越高。