Walter Finch
SPAIN has set a new June heat record this weekend, with thermometers soaring to 46C in El Granado, Huelva – just next to the Portuguese border – yesterday afternoon.
The milestone is only provisional at this moment and it is still awaiting official confirmation from Spain’s weather agency AEMET.
It comes as a brutal heatwave tightens its grip across a huge swathe of Europe, leaving Portugal under a red alert, while France and Italy swelter in temperatures topping 40C.
The Portuguese Meteorological Institute has sounded the alarm, urging residents and visitors – including the thousands of expats and tourists on the Algarve – to stay indoors as the mercury climbs.
Yesterday, Lisbon baked at 42C, while inland regions like Badajoz, just across the Spanish border, hit a sweltering 44C, according to local reports.
Spain’s southern interior is also feeling the brunt, with unofficial readings suggesting a new June high above the previous record of 39.7C.
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The Costa del Sol saw temperatures nudge 38C yesterday, raising concerns about wildfires and strained air conditioning systems.
Experts expect that official data, due later this week, could confirm this as the hottest June on record.
France and Italy are also reeling, with Paris hitting 41C yesterday and Rome sweltering at 40C today, according to national weather services.
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The Mediterranean’s unusually warm ocean temperatures, which are currently around 5C hotter than the average for the time of year, have only worsened the heat, even posing risks to France’s nuclear reactors, which struggle to cool down in such conditions.
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