A RARE red weather warning has been issued for northern Spain as western Europe braces for its first major heatwave of the summer.
State meteorological agency Aemet are urging locals and visitors in the normally-cool northern regions of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa to take ‘extreme precautions’ this weekend, with temperatures expected to soar well above 40C.
The alert kicks in at 1pm on both Sunday and Monday and lasts until 9pm in the evening on both days, with forecasters warning of an ‘extraordinary danger’ to life.
The urgent notice comes as a volatile plume of scorching Saharan air makes its way north, blasting inland areas and trapping severe humidity along the coasts.
Things are expected to get even hotter next week, with the global European ECMWF-AIFS predictive model suggesting localised temperatures could rocket to an extreme peak of 45C.
For reference, the highest temperature ever recorded in Spain was 47.6C in La Rambla, Cordoba during the summer of 2021.
The mercury is expected to ramp up on Saturday afternoon, with large swathes of the Iberian peninsula under alert for extreme heat.
Temperatures could hit 40C across inland Andalucia on Saturday, with an orange heat warning covering Cordoba, Morena y Condado and Valle del Guadalquivir de Jaen.
A lower level yellow warning is also active in Sevilla, Cuenca del Gentil and Almeria.
Alerts are also active across Extremadura, Castilla-la Mancha, Aragon and inland Catalunya.
Elsewhere, a sudden influx of high pressure is set to destabilise conditions across the north, with warnings in place for sudden bursts of heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorms.
Some areas of the Basque Country can expect up to 30mm of rainfall to fall in the space of just one hour.
READ MORE: Scorching May heatwave caused record-breaking number of deaths in Spain
On Sunday, virtually the entirety of mainland Spain is under some form of alert for extreme heat.
Temperatures are expected to be hottest in inland areas, with parts of Andalucia and Extremadura bracing for highs as lofty as 42C.
The heatwave is expected to persist until at least Thursday.
Weather officials are warning people to avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest part of the deay and take extra care if vulnerable, while the combination of extreme heat and high winds is expected to significantly increase the risk of wildfires across large parts of Spain.
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It’s called summer. ?