The heat wave that has been affecting Spain since yesterday Friday reaches its peak this Saturday most critical pointwith temperatures that will exceed 40ºC in much of the country. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has issued yellow and orange alerts for most regions.
Extreme temperatures will move to the north of the peninsula on Sunday, even a few months have been activated red notices in Cantabria and the Basque Country. The capitals that could record the highest temperatures could be Badajoz and Córdoba (42 degrees) this Saturday, and Bilbao (43 degrees) on Sunday.
Where will it be hottest this Saturday?
This Saturday Andalusia, Cordoba, Granada and Jaen will be under orange alertwhile Almería, Huelva and Seville will be on yellow alert. In Aragón, Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza they will have orange alert. Castile and Leon will have Avila, Leon, Valladolid and Zamora on orange alertand Burgos, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia and Soria in yellow. In Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real and Toledo have orange warningand Albacete, Cuenca and Guadalajara on yellow alert.
In Catalonia, Lérida will be at significant riskand Barcelona, Gerona and Tarragona at lower risk. Extremadura will have Caceres and Badajoz at significant risk. In Galicia, Orense will be at significant riskand La Coruña, Lugo and Pontevedra are at moderate risk. In the Basque Country, Álava will also be on yellow alert.
Extreme heat will also activate Orange warnings in the Community of Madrid, Navarra and La Riojawhile the Balearic Islands and Cantabria will be on yellow alert.
Chance of dry storms
Most of the country is expected to have stable weather, with clear or slightly cloudy skies. In areas such as the Cantabrian Sea, northern Galicia, the upper and lower Ebro, Melilla and the Strait, there will be low cloudiness and morning fog banks, with some isolated drizzle. In the afternoon, cloudiness is expected in the interior of the north and east of the peninsula, with possibility of isolated dry storms and scattered showers in mountainous areas such as Galicia, the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains.
In the Canary Islands, the sky will be mostly clear, with some low clouds in the north of the islands and in Tenerife. There could be haze in the Canary Islands, as well as in the centre and south of the peninsula, more likely in the southeast and Alboran.
Red alert for extreme temperatures in the north of the peninsula
For Sunday, the AEMET has issued red warnings in Cantabria and the Basque Country. Between 12:00 and 21:00 hours, maximum temperatures of up to 40ºC are expected in areas such as Líebana, Centro and Villaverde valley in Cantabria, and in areas of inland Vizcaya and inland Guipúzcoa in the Basque Country.
How long will the heat last?
As for next week, it is expected that the approach of a Atlantic front with a colder air mass produce a drop in temperatures idestabilizing the situation in the far north, where cloudiness is expected with the possibility of light and scattered precipitation, more likely in the mountains.
In addition, clouds are expected during the day in the eastern third, with some light showers that may be accompanied by thunderstorms in the mountains that will gradually decrease, and low clouds in the Mediterranean area.
Temperatures will gradually decline until midweek, when they will begin to rise again. Except for midweek, temperatures are expected to remain above 35ºC in much of the interior of the southern half of the peninsula, as well as in the areas of the Ebro and Duero valleys.
In the southern river regions, Temperatures could exceed 40ºC, while minimum temperatures will remain above 20ºC in many areas in the south and east of the country.