Barcelona plans to hold two exercises in 2027 to test how the city would respond to a simulated heatwave reaching 50°C, Mayor Jaume Collboni announced on 15 July 2026.
The plans matter for residents because the drills are intended to test the Ajuntament de Barcelona, the city council, and its services during an extreme-heat emergency. They are preparedness exercises, not a forecast that Barcelona will reach 50°C.
“We have an obligation to prepare for when we reach that point; it is a good thing,” Collboni said when presenting the project.
Reports give different dates for the exercises
Reports published on 15 July said the city intended to run exercises in February and September 2027. However, an earlier report by the Catalan News Agency, ACN, said the exercise would take place in the first quarter of 2027.
The differing dates mean the timetable is not consistent across the supplied reports. The city council had not specified the locations where the exercise would take place.
Two tests and a review of heat protocols
According to the ACN report, the city planned to complete a diagnosis of the situation and prepare the exercise by the end of 2026. The drill was expected to last more than one day.
- One test would simulate the effects of extreme temperatures on the ground.
- A second would coordinate municipal services.
- The conclusions were expected to inform updates to protocols for extreme-heat episodes.
“What we are seeking is not a city-wide response, but to rehearse and draw conclusions,” Deputy Mayor Laia Bonet said in comments reported by ACN.
Bonet said the exercise would be held in as-yet unspecified spaces in the city, rather than across entire neighbourhoods. No locations have been identified in the supplied plans.
Primary sources: ho.int, epa.gov. Reported by Source Text Link, europapress.es, elnacional.cat, catalannews.com, ACN, Raquel Navarro, written by Lorraine Williamson, Janet Ige-Elegbede, jamanetwork.com, sciencedirect.com, preview-www.nature.com, El Periódico Barcelona.
