Spain is bracing for a ‘second summer’ as an intense heatwave approaches. Temperatures are expected to soar to a scorching 36C this week. Authorities are urging both locals and tourists to take precautions as the mercury could climb close to 40C in some areas.
According to the national meteorological agency Aemet, temperatures have been steadily increasing over recent months. In July, sea temperatures in the Balearic Sea reached record levels, ranging from 5C to 6C above the seasonal average.
In fact, according to the Olive Press, the surge in heat comes as a ‘massive anticyclone brings sweltering heat across much of the country’. Temperatures in popular areas like Barcelona are set to hit 27C on Wednesday, reports BBC Weather. Meanwhile, other popular destinations such as Malaga are forecast to reach 29C.
The heatwave extends beyond that, with Alicante expected to experience consistent highs of 31C throughout the week while temperatures in Zaragoza could climb to a sweltering 35C.
Weather experts at the Olive Press warn: “Low-lying areas of southwest Spain and parts of the Canary Islands will exceed 34C, with the Guadalquivir hitting 36C. However, there will be some respite along parts of the coast, with temperatures dropping in Huelva, the Alboran Sea area, the Strait of Gibraltar, Galicia, the upper Ebro and the Cantabrian coast.”
As the week progresses, heavy showers and thunderstorms may develop in the eastern Pyrenees and the Iberian mountain range.
The unsettled weather is expected to persist, with Aemet forecasting that the following week (September 22–28) will also bring above-average temperatures for this time of year, along with very little rainfall across much of the Peninsula.
Speaking about tomorrow’s temperatures, tiempo reports that although some showers are expected, ‘yellow warnings have even been activated for high temperatures in the Guadiana plains, where it is expected to exceed 38C in the central hours of the day’.
The same warnings ‘will also be in force in the midlands of the south and west of Gran Canarias, where tomorrow they will reach or exceed 35C’.
“In the coming days, this thermal rebound could spread to other areas of the interior, leaving sweltering days and afternoons with an atmosphere typical of midsummer, despite still being in the month of September,” a spokesperson said. “On the other hand, tomorrow the maximum values will fall from 4 to 6C in Catalonia, Zaragoza and Navarra.”