TEMPERATURES across Andalucia are set to soar again this week as Spain’s state weather agency issues a flurry of alerts for the region.
AEMET has placed swathes of southern Spain under orange high-temperature warnings, signalling ‘significant danger’, with the mercury expected to hit 40C across Sevilla, Cordoba, Huelva, Cadiz and Jaen on Monday.
Malaga’s coastline has escaped the worst of the heat, according to weather models, while Granada is set to roast under a scorching 39C.
Some respite is forecast for Tuesday, with many alerts downgraded to yellow, before temperatures return to more seasonable levels on Wednesday.
Much of the rest of Spain is also in for a roasting, with temperatures of up to 36C forecast in the east, including Valencia and Alicante.
Central Spain will see highs of between 36C and 38C in Madrid and Toledo, while Lleida is expected to reach 37C in Catalunya.
The latest blast comes after a record-breaking start to September, with temperatures soaring well above normal across the country.
Last Saturday alone, 21 weather stations recorded their highest September temperatures ever, including Almeria airport, where the mercury hit a staggering 39.4C.
READ MORE: Spain records hottest summer since records began as Barcelona smashes both air and sea temperatures
But the heat has been even more extreme elsewhere in Andalucia.
On Thursday, El Granado in Huelva reached 45.7C, matching Spain’s highest-ever temperature for September.
The reading equalled the national September record set in Montoro, Cordoba, in 2016, and was also the highest temperature recorded anywhere in Spain so far this year.
The extraordinary figures come after what AEMET says was the hottest January-to-August period ever recorded in mainland Spain.
The average temperature over the period reached 16.4C – the first time it has broken the 16C mark – and was significantly higher than previous record years.
AEMET has described the figures as an ‘unequivocal sign’ that warming is accelerating in Spain.
The agency says there is little sign of a major cooldown on the horizon, with a 60% to 70% chance this autumn will be warmer than usual.
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