Extreme Heat Returns to Spain, Set to Approach 45°C

This week, extreme heat will once again return to Spain. After a brief respite over the weekend, thermometers in the eastern half of the country and on the Balearic Islands will climb to nearly +45 degrees. The weather service AEMET is already tracking the situation, which could officially be declared a new heatwave.

The heat will start to noticeably intensify from July 13 in the eastern half of the peninsula and on the Balearic Islands, although downpours and thunderstorms are still possible that day in Galicia and along the coast of Cantabria.

The real turning point will come on Tuesday: a very warm air mass will move into the country, and additional stifling heat will be caused by "calima" — a dust storm carried in by wind from the Sahara. That day, temperatures above +40 degrees are expected inland in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Murcia region, and the Balearic Islands, while minimum nighttime temperatures in many places won't drop below +20 degrees, and in some Mediterranean spots, not below +25 degrees.

Meteored meteorologist José Miguel Viñas is forecasting the peak of the heat for Wednesday. Inland in the Murcia region, the thermometer could come right up to +45 degrees.

Forecasters don't expect any significant changes until the weekend — the anticyclone will keep the weather stable, with only isolated thunderstorms possible in the mountainous areas of Cantabria, the Pyrenees, and the southeast of the peninsula. On Friday, intense heat will persist in the east of the country and on the Balearic Islands. Only the Cantabrian coast and the north of the Canary Islands will be spared the abnormal temperatures.

Over the weekend of July 18 and 19, the weather will remain typically summery. The heat will also return to the north of Spain, covering nearly the entire country.