Brits visiting Spain should be prepared for extreme heat over the next week
Extreme heat is set to hit large parts of Spain over the coming days(Image: Getty Images)
Large parts of Spain have been hit with severe weather alerts over the coming days as temperatures surpassing 40C have been forecast.
Spain’s weather agency AEMET (State Meteorological Agency) issues alerts when severe weather is expected, similarly to the Met Office here in the UK.
Over the coming days, large parts of Europe are expected to be hit with a heatwave, being driven by a strong area of high pressure building over continental Europe.
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The Met Office explained that this high pressure is promoting widespread sinking air, which suppresses cloud formation, allows for prolonged sunshine and leads to increasing temperatures through compressional heating.
Because of this, temperatures across much of central and western Europe will rise steadily, the Met Office says, pushing well beyond seasonal norms. In many cases, temperatures are expected to reach around 10C above average for mid-June, highlighting the unusual nature of this early summer heat event.
On Sunday, June 21, most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands have been issued yellow or amber extreme heat warnings. Amber alerts – which signify ‘major risk’ – are in force in parts of Mallorca, and in areas in Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Madrid and the Basque Country.
Large parts of Spain have been hit with extreme heat alerts over the coming days(Image: AEMET)
In the areas hit with an amber alert, AEMET has said temperatures could reach as high as 42C. Less severe yellow alerts are in force across parts of Rioja, Navarre, Galicia, Estremadura, Castile and Leon, and Cantabria, where temperatures could peak at 39C.
Ahead of Sunday, AEMET has also issued yellow warnings for thunderstorms on Saturday, June 20 across parts of northern and central Spain including Villaverde and Cantabria.
While there are currently no weather alerts in force across the Canary Islands, a heatwave is expected to hit the Spanish archipelago.
Forecasts suggest that temperatures are likely to exceed 35C across large parts of the Canary Islands – made up of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
It comes as parts of the UK have been forecast to reach as high as 34C at times over the coming days, with yellow and amber UKHSA heat-health alerts in force across the country.