Spain braces for extreme heat as temperatures soar to 40°C in the southwest on Thursday, while northern regions enjoy cooler conditions. The Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has issued warnings as a persistent anticyclone drives a sharp rise in temperatures across the interior, particularly in Extremadura and Andalusia.
Badajoz is expected to record the highest temperatures, reaching 39°C, followed by Seville at 38°C and Córdoba at 37°C. Other cities such as Cáceres, Jaén, Granada, Toledo, and Ciudad Real will also surpass 35°C, according to AEMET forecasts. In stark contrast, the Cantabrian coast will remain significantly cooler, with Santander and San Sebastián hovering around 20-21°C.
The heatwave will be accompanied by strong easterly winds, with gusts exceeding 70 km/h in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. The tramontana wind will also blow forcefully in the Ampurdán region, while the Canary Islands will experience strong trade winds. Morning mist is expected in the upper Ebro valley, the Cantabrian interior, and the Comunitat Valenciana, alongside a plume of haze in the southern peninsula and the Alborán Sea.
Rainfall will be minimal, with only weak drizzle possible in the Cantabrian area, the Pyrenees, the Comunitat Valenciana interior, Ceuta, and Melilla during the morning. By afternoon, isolated showers may develop in the eastern Pyrenees, but the overall pattern remains dry. Nighttime temperatures will also reflect the regional divide, with tropical nights—where minimums stay above 20°C—expected in the southwestern river valleys and the Mediterranean coast. Meanwhile, cities like Burgos and Soria will experience cooler overnight conditions.
The anticyclone is consolidating a fully summery pattern across much of Spain, with stable atmospheric conditions and minimal precipitation. AEMET has warned that this trend will persist, with temperatures likely to remain elevated through the weekend. The extreme heat follows a pattern of increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves in recent years, driven by climate change.
In Madrid, temperatures will climb to 35°C in Aranjuez, 34°C in Alcalá de Henares, and 33°C in Getafe and the capital itself. Skies will be mostly clear, with light easterly and northeasterly winds. The Spanish capital’s temperatures are expected to rise further in the coming days, with minimums exceeding 20°C and maximums potentially reaching 36-37°C by the weekend.
Across Europe, the contrast in weather patterns is stark. While Spain swelters, Central and Northern Europe are experiencing cooler, unsettled conditions. Slovakia and Hungary are bracing for cooler mountain temperatures, while Germany and the Netherlands face thunderstorms, hail, and heavy rain. In the UK, millions of homes in London, Essex, and Kent are at risk of subsidence due to hotter, drier weather shrinking the ground beneath foundations, according to the British Geological Survey .
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