Spain will enter its third summer heat wave on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to soar above 40°C in large parts of the country, the national weather office said.
The heat wave will be fueled by a persistent area of high pressure that will trap hot, dry air from North Africa over Spain for several days, pushing temperatures to extremely high levels, AEMET said in a statement.
The heat is expected to intensify until Thursday, which forecasters say is likely to be the peak of the event, with some isolated areas likely to exceed 45°C.
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“The risk level will be considerable during the central hours of the day, especially for outdoor activities and vulnerable people,” the weather agency said.
Spain has already endured two other heat waves this summer — one in late June that broke temperature records across Europe and another in early July.
Mainland Spain recorded the hottest first half of summer since records began in 1961, AEMET said on Tuesday, with average temperatures from June 1 to July 15 reaching 24.5°C — 3.3°C above the 1991-2020 reference period average of 21.2°C.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the length, intensity and frequency of heat waves, which dry out vegetation and increase the risk of wildfires.
A wildfire in the southeastern province of Almeria earlier this month killed 13 people, making it Spain’s deadliest fire in recent years.
