Spain’s third heatwave of the summer was set to peak on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) in central and southern Spain and officials warning of the danger of wildfires.
According to the national meteorological service AEMET, the temperature in the Basque Country in northern Spain might reach 40 degrees Celsius, an area less accustomed to such high temperatures.
It warned of so-called dry storms in numerous parts of the nation, which contain thunder and lighting but no rain.
Southern European nations have seen record-breaking temperatures this summer, prompting regulators to issue health warnings, particularly for the elderly and those with medical conditions.
According to AEMET spokesperson Ruben del Campo, temperatures in various southern Spanish provinces were over 27 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
“Wednesday will be the most intense day in terms of extension and temperatures,” Del Campo said, adding that the heatwave will linger into the weekend.
With the tourism season well underway, tourists to Madrid were getting more sun than they bargained for. Employees at the Prado museum sprayed water on tourists waiting in queue. Tourists reported they sat in the shade, drank lots of water, and ate ice cream to stay cool.
This summer’s heatwaves in Spain and around Europe have exacerbated a long-standing drought, lowering reservoir levels as evaporation and consumption climb, forcing Catalan officials to implement additional water-use restrictions.
As Spain’s temperatures rise, the ice on its mountains disappears.
The Cryosphere, a scientific journal dedicated to frozen water and ground, published a peer-reviewed research on Tuesday detailing how the Aneto Glacier, the largest in the Pyrenees, is melting and may disappear totally.
