RESIDENTS living in southern Spain have been urged to take great care this week after a red ‘danger to life’ warning was issued for extreme heat.
Weather experts at state meteorological agency Aemet have activated the rare highest-level alert for parts of Andalucia as the record-breaking heatwave currently baking western Europe continues to heat up.
Initially, a red alert had only been issued in normally-cool northern Spain, where the mercury is expected to soar beyond 40C.
But Aemet have revised their range of alerts for Tuesday, with swathes of expat-friendly southern Spain now turning red.
The new warning covers Cordoba and Morena y Condado with temperatures forecast to rise to an unbearable 44C between 1pm and 9pm on Tuesday.
A lower-level orange alert is in place for Valle del Guadalquivir de Jaen, Cuenca del Genil, Cazorla y Segura and Almeria, while yellow warnings cover Antequera, Sevilla, Capital y Montes de Jaen and Valle del Almanzora y Los Velez.
The current heatwave, caused by a volatile plume of scorching Saharan air casting an intense heat dome over western Europe, has already made its mark across Spain, pushing temperatures around 10C higher than what is typical for this time of year.
On Sunday, the mercury failed to dip below 30C in Almeria – the first time that a minimum equal to or above 30C has been recorded in June on the entire Iberian peninsula.
Across the border in France, hundreds of schools have been ordered to close amid sizzling highs of 42C.
Two children, aged two and four, were found dead in the southern town of Carpentras after becoming trapped in their family car.
Red warnings have also been issued in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the UK.
The heatwave is expected to persist until the weekend.
Weather officials are warning people to avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day and take extra care if vulnerable.
The combination of extreme heat and high winds is also expected to significantly increase the risk of wildfires across large parts of Spain.
READ MORE: Andalucia swelters as Saharan heatwave drives highs of 42C and midnight temperatures past 30C
Aemet issued a red ‘extreme’ wildfire risk warning on Monday for Murcia’s western coastline and the Guadalentin River area, alongside orange alerts for Altiplano, Cuenca de Mula, Vega Alta-Ricote-Murcia and the northeast of the province.
The region’s eastern coastline was placed under a yellow alert.
The warnings come after a wildfire tore through 20 hectares of land along the Segura River on Saturday, prompting emergency services to evacuate a group of residents from their homes near La Arboleja.
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