James Warren
SPAIN’s Costa del Sol and Costa Tropical were hit with record temperatures this weekend as a sweltering heatwave engulfs the country.
Residents in Velez-Malaga experienced the highest temperature in Spain on Sunday with a debilitating 45.6C at 3pm, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
Malaga airport wasn’t far behind with weather station readings hitting 43.5C, while inland Coin hit 42.4C and Estepona 42.5C.
The searing temperatures caused AEMET to issue a red heat warning across large parts of Andalucia over the weekend, including much of the Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce Valley.
The heatwave has not been exclusive to Spain.
The hot weather has swept across parts of Italy and France and is now moving north to the UK.
On Friday, thermometers in London reached 37.8C, the third hottest day since records began.
The heatwave is also posing difficult decisions to the regional governments in Andalucia as they fight to stop the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
Initial studies that suggested that high temperatures affected the COVID-19 virus remain unfounded and in an effort to battle the heat, many are flocking to the region’s beaches.
This, along with the difficulties associated with wearing masks in such extreme temperatures and the complications with heatstroke and exhaustion to the elderly and vulnerable, has led to tighter regulations and for governments to issue important health advice during the heatwave.
Forecasters have predicted that temperatures will lower in the coming weeks.
