Spain swelters in heatwave, with red alert issued in Córdoba

Spain was sweltering in the heat on Monday, as it suffered the worst day so far of the first heatwave of this summer. A total of 43 of Spain’s 50 provinces were on alert for high temperatures, including 18 that were on orange alert (the second highest of the three-level scale). Córdoba was on red alert due to the extreme risk, with temperatures as high as 44ºC in some parts.

Cities such as Toledo and Seville were registering 42ºC according to data from the Aemet state meteorology service. Only Cantabria, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Castellón, Murcia, Málaga and Santa Cruz de Tenerife have escaped the scorching temperatures.

There will be some respite for Galicia, Asturias and the western Andalusian, Valencian and Catalan coasts

The skies are clear in practically all of Spain, with just a few cloudy spells expected in the north of the Canaries and parts of the north of the peninsula.

In provincial capitals, the temperatures were set to be highest in Córdoba (44ºC); Badajoz (43ºC); Ciudad Real, Sevilla and Toledo (42ºC); Cáceres, Jaén and Madrid (41 ºC); and Granada, Guadalajara and Zaragoza (40ºC).

The alerts are in place in most locations between 2pm and 8pm because of temperatures of between 34ºC and 44ºC. The provinces of Madrid, Jaén, Badajoz, Cáceres and Ciudad Real could see 41ºC, and Cuenca and Guadalajara 40ºC. Cádiz, Huelva, Zaragoza, Ávila, Salamanca, Valladolid, Zamora, Lleida, Navarre and Granada are expected to experience highs of 39ºC.

There will be some respite for Galicia, Asturias and the western Andalusian, Valencian and Catalan coasts, which will see slight falls as the day progresses. But the rest of the country will see rises, with nighttime temperatures expected to increase throughout.