SPAIN is bracing for another punishing heatwave this weekend, with temperatures set to soar above 40C across parts of the country.
State weather agency Aemet issued a flurry of orange and yellow alerts on Friday, warning that areas along the Guadiana and Guadalquivir river valleys in Andalucia could hit a sweltering 42C from Sunday.
Similar conditions are forecast for parts of the Cantabrian coast and northeastern Spain, where temperatures are expected to reach 41C, while the Balearic Islands are set to bake in highs of 38C.
READ MORE: Spain logs more than 1,000 deaths linked to ‘extraordinarily’ high temperatures in June
The latest heatwave is forecast to last until Tuesday and comes just days after a record-breaking spell between June 21 and 24, when temperatures climbed above 40C across much of Europe.
A shocking report published on Wednesday estimated that 1,028 people died in Spain last month during what meteorologists described as an “extraordinarily high” period of heat for June.
The grim toll makes it the deadliest June on record for heat-related deaths in Spain.
READ MORE: Recent record European heatwave would have been ‘impossible in June 50 years ago’, scientists warn
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group said the extreme heat experienced across Spain and Europe would have been “virtually impossible” 50 years ago, arguing that climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
Lead WWA researcher Theodore Keeping, of Imperial College London, said: “The science on how climate change is worsening heatwaves is settled.
“Continued fossil fuel emissions are directly responsible for the disruption people are experiencing.”
He added: “The speed of change is startling. Every few years we are seeing heat records shattered in Europe.
“This year it has been in consecutive months.”
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