Spain records highest June temperature ever – when will the heatwave end?

This past weekend saw the highest June temperature ever recorded in Spain at 46C in El Granado in the southwestern Huelva province, close to the border with Portugal.

This beat the previous June record, 45.2C that was set in 1965 in Seville.

The mercury also reached around 42-44C in many parts of western Andalusia, Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha, which have been the areas most affected by this late June heatwave.

Unfortunately, the ola de calor (heatwave) is expected to continue until at least Wednesday July 2nd, and in some places the extreme heat will linger longer.

On Monday, June 30th, many provinces in Spain have been issued with yellow and orange heat warnings.

Forecasters have said that temperatures will exceed 40-42C today in areas in the southwest, such as Extremadura, Andalusia, and Castilla-La Mancha, but the mercury will also go above 40C in the Ebro Valley and inland areas in Catalonia and Aragón. Temperatures of 40C are also possible in Valencia's interior.

In the rest of the country, it is expected to be 36-38C across much of the peninsula's interior. Temperatures may also reach 37-38C in the interior of Mallorca. Mountain ranges of the Canary Islands will also see the heat rise up to 32-34C.

READ ALSO: ¡Qué calor! 18 Spanish phrases to moan about the heat like a local

On Tuesday, the intense heat is expected to remain unchanged, but by Wednesday it will finally begin to subside in some parts of the country.

The drop will be felt most in the northern regions including Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, northern Castilla y León, Navarre, and La Rioja with an expected decrease of between 6C and 8C.

Other regions will remain similar though until Thursday July 3rd.

Starting Thursday, temperatures are expected to begin to fall in other parts of the country, but they will still remain high in certain areas – around 40C in parts of Andalusia near Seville and Córdoba.

After Thursday, a cooler front is expected to arrive in Spain, bringing a much wanted respite from the scorching heat. This will lead to rain and maybe even some storms which will move down from Galicia across to Cantabria and down to the areas of the Ebro River.

Further south, there may be more clouds, as well as isolated and sporadic showers. This front will remain in Spain over the weekend of July 5th and 6th and even into the beginning of the second week of July.