Spain’s sweltering heatwave set to linger into weekend
Madrid, Jun 15 (EFE).- The unseasonal heatwave gripping Spain is set to continue until at least the end of the week, the country’s meteorological agency Aemet said Wednesday.
The scorching heatwave is the hottest on record for early June and the earliest of such intensity to hit Spain in decades, with temperatures hitting between 7C (45F) to 12C (54C) higher than the seasonal average. In Spain, spring does not officially end until June 21.
Weather warnings are in place for all but two of Spain’s regions — Asturias in the north and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, while half of the country is on alert for temperatures above 40C.
The mercury has shot up in thermometers across the country since the weekend, with temperatures as high as 43.2C detected in Almadén, a town in central Spain on Sunday.
The afterglow of the day’s heat extends well into the night in some places such as Osuna, in southern Spain, where a minimum temperature of 25.6C was in the early hours of Monday morning.
In addition to the heat, the mass of very warm and dusty African air is causing hazy skies.
Aemet has warned of tropical and even “torrid” nights in parts of north-central Spain while temperatures could stay above 25C in cities like Madrid and Toledo, as well as parts of Andalusia and Extremadura.
The arrival of a low pressure system is forecast to drop temperatures during the coming weekend. EFE
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