Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S State Meteorological Agency(Aemet) has warned about the first heatwave of the summer arriving this weekend which could last until the middle of next week.
The arrival of a mass of warm air from North Africa will affect large parts of Spain, especially in the south-west and centre.
For several days, 35 degrees will be exceeded in much of the centre and south of country, with values soaring to between 40 to 42 degrees in the Tajo, Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys.
The nights will also be very warm and will not fall below 20 or 22 degrees on the Mediterranean coast and in the centre and south of the country.
Aemet’s Ruben del Campo said that daytime temperatures ‘will be between 5 and 10 degrees above normal values’ for this time of year.
On Thursday, there are still ‘remnants of instability ‘in the eastern Cantabrian and northern Navarre, where localised strong storms are expected accompanied by hail, with the risk steadily reducing during the day.
“Thermometers will already reach 36 degrees in the middle of the day in the Guadalquivir, the interior of the Valencian Community, Murcia and Mallorca,” said del Campo.
On Friday ‘both night and day temperatures will rise, except in points of the Mediterranean area, where they will fall’.
Therefore Madrid will be around 33 while Badajoz, Cordoba and Sevilla will approach 40 degrees.
Ruben del Campo predicted: “On Saturday and Sunday temperatures will rise, although on Sunday it is likely that they will drop somewhat in the Bay of Biscay area.”
“Both days will reach 35 degrees in most of the centre and south of the country as well as in large areas of the north-east and the northern plateau reaching up to 42 degrees in the Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir areas,” he added.
The hottest cities are expected to be Sevilla, Cordoba, and Badajoz with temperatures also hitting around 42 degrees.
Tropical nights will see minimums not falling below 20 degrees with some areas not going under 25 degrees.
High temperatures will continue ‘without great variations, at least until the middle of next week’, although some isolated showers in mountain areas in the afternoons are not ruled out.
From there on the forecasts predict a generalised decrease in temperatures, which would return to values typical of the end of June.
