A Spanish city widely recognised as the hottest in Europe could be hit by a scorching heatwave with 40C tempreatures in days, as weather warnings are issued across the Mediterranean country hugely popular with British tourists.
Seville in Andalusia, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, sees intense hot weather in the summer months, with average top temperatures of 36C in July and no days of rain on average, according to NOAA data. Now the latest weather forecast data by WXCHARTS.COM shows Sevilla at 43C and multiple parts of Spain also facing baking heat on Thursday (June 19) at 3pm UTC (4pm BST). Only a handful of areas in Spain are forecast seeing the mercury drop just below 30C. Popular tourist destinations including Barcelona and Valencia look to be around 33C and 32C respectively. But temperatures look set to be higher in the southwest towards Portugal, with a large area of the country seeing temperatures in the high 30s and above.
Temperatures in Portugal also look to be north of 40C at this time, with the country also potentially seeing remarkably conditions for the itme of year. It comes as Spain braces for a heatwave normally expected only later in the summer when temperatures tend to peak.
An “exceptionally warm air mass” is forecast over parts of the country starting today, with Meteored meteorologist Nacho Espinós warning: “We’re expecting highs of up to 43C this week.
“Although June is the first month of summer and the heat is guaranteed across much of the Iberian Peninsula, temperatures reaching the 43C forecast for next week are not normal. Nor is it normal for temperatures in the centre to reach 40C.”
As a result, people will “need to pay attention to any special warnings or alerts issued by the [the state weather forecasting agency] AEMET (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología) for next week”, Mr Espinós added.
“Everything seems to indicate that the Cantabrian coast will be spared the extreme heat that the rest of the peninsula will suffer, as the breeze regime will be key to preventing temperatures from skyrocketing.
“San Sebastián, for example, will have highs of 24C/25C next Wednesday and Thursday.”
A number of warnings have been put out by AEMET for high temperatures over the next three days.
These include “Important Risk” warning for Campiña sevillana, a region in Seville with temperatures expected to hit 40C by 1pm local time today and persist into the evening.
“Important Risk” alerts are in place across six “Warning Zones” in place on Tuesday for high heat in southwestern areas, including Campiña sevillana again, and rain and storms in some southern coastal areas.
“Risk” alerts for high temperatures are also in effect across large areas of Spain, including a large swathe of the country and dozens of warning zones.
AEMET’s guidance is updated regularly so travellers would be well advised to check the website for the latest information, here.
The NHS warns heatwaves can increase the chance of serious illness and even lead to fatalities, with young children and elderly people most vulnerable.
The main risks heatwaves bring are:
- Not drinking enough water (dehydration)
- Overheating, which can make symptoms worse for people who already have problems with their heart or breathing
- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
You can find tips from the health service on how to stay cool on their website.