Spain forecast to face third summer heatwave

Spain is expected to enter its third heatwave of the summer on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to rise above 40C across large parts of the country, the national weather office said.

AEMET said a persistent area of high pressure would trap hot, dry air from North Africa over Spain for several days. The agency said this would push temperatures to exceptionally high levels.

The heat is expected to build through Thursday, which forecasters said is likely to be the peak of the event. Some isolated areas could exceed 45C.

AEMET warned that the danger level would be significant during the middle hours of the day, especially for outdoor activities and vulnerable people.

Spain has already had two other heatwaves this summer. One in late June broke temperature records across Europe, and another occurred in early July.

AEMET said mainland Spain recorded its hottest first half of summer since records began in 1961. It said average temperatures from June 1 to July 15 reached 24.5C, which was 3.3C above the 1991-2020 reference period average of 21.2C.

Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the length, strength and frequency of heatwaves. Such heat can dry vegetation and increase wildfire risk. A wildfire in the southeastern province of Almeria earlier this month killed 13 people, making it Spain’s deadliest wildfire in recent years.