Walter Finch
THE Costa del Sol is set to experience a final goodbye blast of summer heat this weekend, with temperatures soaring above 30C across Malaga province on Saturday.
The unseasonably warm weather will see the mercury climb highest in the Guadalhorce valley, where towns like Alora can expect a sweltering 34C.
Meanwhile, overnight temperatures will remain balmy at around 20C, offering little respite from the autumn heatwave.
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The hot spell will be relatively short-lived, however. Both Friday and Sunday are forecast to see more moderate maximums of 26-27C across most of the province, though the upper Guadalhorce area will continue to record the highest values at around 30C on both days.
The temperature surge is being driven by an incoming warm air mass, according to Spain’s state meteorological agency Aemet.
Skies will remain lightly cloudy or clear with no rain on the horizon, making Saturday an ideal day for one last beach trip before autumn properly sets in.
Saturday may also bring the characteristic terral wind to the province, though this warm breeze could be replaced by cooler easterly winds by the end of the day, meteorologists have warned.
The extended summer weather is becoming an increasingly familiar pattern for Malaga province. Year after year, the season stretches practically until November, with average temperatures continuing to rise.
Rainfall patterns have also shifted, with what used to be typical end-of-year precipitation now more commonly arriving in March and April. Recent years have seen particularly intense spring downpours.
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This September has proven no exception to the warming trend, though it hasn’t quite broken records. With an average temperature of 25.1C, the month ranks as the fifth warmest September since records began in 1943.
While not an extreme value, the fact that only four Septembers in the past 82 years have been warmer underscores the continuing climate trend affecting the Costa del Sol.
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