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From what felt like the longest, soggiest winter in recent memory to full-blown summer seemingly overnight, Spain is diving straight into sweltering temperatures, and we’re still only in May. According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), the country is experiencing an “extraordinary episode of maximum temperatures,” with daytime highs pushing 40ºC this week and nights barely dipping below 20.

 

In fact, if the mercury continues to rise, this could be the hottest late-May spell Spain has seen since at least 1950, with the peak of the sweltering heat expected between May 29 and June 1.

 

Aemet posted the warning on its social media profile on X, calling it a period of “values typical of midsummer.” And if you have stepped outside in recent days, you already know it feels like the middle of July.

 

As of Wednesday May 28, at least eight provinces are under heat alerts, with some of the most extreme temperatures forecast for places like the Sevilla countryside at a boiling 38ºC and parts of Catalonia, such as the Lleida and Tarragona depressions, where the highs may go beyond 36ºC.

 

Rubén del Campo, spokesperson for Aemet, explained that this sudden burst of heat is due to a combination of high pressure and clear skies allowing the sun to really do its work.

 

“The sun is intensely warming the ground, and starting midweek, a mass of warm, dry air from North Africa will reach the peninsula, which will promote further temperature rise,” he said.

 

As for the ever-present rain, the forecast is for the occasional shower on Thursday and Friday, May 29 and 30, in northern Spain but aside from that, the weather is going to be dry and settled until at least the end of the week.

 

Despite the chance of drizzle, Thursday and Friday will actually be the hottest days of the week, with daytime temperatures between 5 and 10ºC above normal for this time of year.

 

As the days go by, Mr del Campo says the thermometers could even reach 40ºC in Sevilla, “a very unusual value in the Andalucían capital for the month of May.” As it turns out, the mercury has only climbed to 40 in May twice ever: 2015 and 2022.

 

Along with scorching days, we’re also in for a few uncomfortable evenings as tropical nights make a very early appearance. Here again, the minimum temperatures could be a good 5 or 10ºC higher than normal in parts of the north and in Andalucía.

 

On Friday, the heat will intensify in the eastern part of the country and the Balearic Islands.

 

Temperatures will reach more than 34ºC in the Northern Plateau, around 36ºC in the Ebro Valley, and between 38 and 40ºC in cities such as Badajoz, Córdoba and Sevilla.

 

Over the weekend, the arrival of a cooler air mass and increased instability could favour the development of storms, especially in the north and east of the country. Even so, the heat will remain intense in most of the country, the Aemet spokesperson concluded.

 

Although summer officially begins in late June, in Spain it seems the season has arrived early. With extreme temperatures and little nighttime relief, staying hydrated and avoiding unnecessary outdoor exposure will be essential in the days ahead.

 

 

Image: Archive