'Up to 43 degrees': Spain braces for scorching second half of June

Meteorologists are warning that the next two weeks in Spain will be very hot and will likely include the first heatwave of the summer, with temperatures breaking the 40C barrier in swathes of the country.

It may still be the last days of spring but Spain is preparing for a scorching week that experts believe will see summer-like temperatures and could last for the rest of the month.

A mass of warm air will settle over Spain from Monday, causing the mercury to soar to values more typical of mid-July or August. El Tiempo reporting suggests it could cause the first official heatwave of the summer.

“Temperatures of up to 43 degrees are expected,” Nacho Espinós, an expert at Meteored, told 20 Minutos. “The data confirms that temperatures are well above average for this time of year.”

This follows news that mainland Spain recently recorded its hottest May day ever, with average temperatures over 24C, according to state weather agency Aemet.

For at least the rest of the week, the heat will be intense and widespread, except on the Cantabrian coast where sea breezes will mitigate the temperatures.

“Everything seems to indicate that the Cantabrian coast will be spared the extreme heat that will affect the rest of the peninsula, as the breeze will be key to preventing temperatures from soaring,” Meteored sources state, giving San Sebastián as an example, where forecasts indicate the Basque city will more manageable highs of 25 degrees between Wednesday and Thursday.

Seville could reach 43 degrees and Cordoba 41, while in other parts of the Guadalquivir valley temperatures could rise even beyond that.

In the Guadiana valley, the heat will also be extreme, with temperatures above 40 degrees in many towns and cities in Extremadura. In central Spain, such as in Madrid, temperatures will reach 38 degrees.

Though heat will be intense in most areas of the country, the highest temperatures are forecast in the south-west of the peninsula.

In eastern Spain along the Mediterranean coast, humidity will make the heat feel much more intense.

This heat blast will last at least a week and could stay for the rest of the month, forecasts say. “Temperatures will be well above normal throughout next week,” Espinós explains. “The maps point to a very hot second half of the month, but there's still a lot of uncertainty for the last few days.”

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