Madrid In Grip Of Sweltering “Spring” Heatwave

The blinds are firmly down and the aircon on as the Spanish capital swelters in an early summer heatwave as a mass of hot air from North Africa brought the country’s first major heat wave of the year over the weekend.

Spain’s national meteorological office, AEMET, has said that these are some of the hottest temperatures recorded for at least 20 years in June.

The heatwave has gripped much of the Iberian Peninsular and is expected to remain in central Spain and the Madrid region until the weekend, with temperatures tomorrow, Tuesday 14^th June expected to reach 43 C in the capital.

Tiempo previsto en Madrid desde 13-06-2022 hasta 19-06-2022. Info siempre actualizada en https://t.co/UN8UlhSjEN pic.twitter.com/BVq5A5RtjC

— AEMET_Madrid (@AEMET_Madrid) June 13, 2022

The heatwave is expected to intensify as temperatures rocket in parts of southern Spain.

And it’s still only Spring – Summer officially starts on June 21^st.

Spain has experienced four episodes of extreme temperatures in the last 10 months.

A heatwave last August set a record, with the temperature hitting 47.4C in the southern Andalusian town of Montoro.

“This extreme heat is not normal at this time during the spring,” said a spokesman for AEMET.

Since the pre-industrial era, Spain has seen temperatures rise by 1.7C on average, and not only have temperatures become more extreme, he said, but periods of heat have become more frequent.

Summers in Spain, “are a bit hotter every year and getting longer and longer. A summer lasts one month longer than in the 1980s”.