Madrid Empties As Heatwave Continues
Many Madrileños have used the ongoing heatwave to escape the city where temperatures have been hovering around the 35 degree mark over the last 10 days.
The Spanish state meteorological agency AEMET has forecast the high temperatures across the country with the central plain including the Madrid region taking the full force of temperatures that have rarely dipped below 35 degrees.
The south of the Madrid region has been on the highest category Orange Alert as temperatures there hit 40 degrees yesterday, Wednesday 21st July.
Even the usually cooler Sierra to the north of the capital has not escaped the extreme temperatures.
Madrid´s summer exodus that usually starts in the first week of August began early this year with many Madrileños leaving the city for summer homes in villages and the coast.
Other regions in Spain are seeing wide variations with Aemet showing that the north east corner which includes Aragon and Catalunia is seeing extreme highs while the north west, including Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria is overcast with light showers expected.
The rest of the country is dominated by the heat in the centre wtih some lighte relief on the costal areas from the Costa Brava to the Costa de Luz to the Portuguese border.
The temperatures are expected to dip slightly after the weekend.
In the meantime regional health authorities are advising people to take precautions against the effects of the heat with advice to drink plenty of liquids, stay in shaded areas where possible and avoid the peak heat times of midday until 5pm.
