Spain roasts in early heatwave

MADRID — Spain was grappling on Tuesday with a second unusually early heatwave in less than a month as temperatures hit levels normally seen in July and August, while France began preparing for similar conditions.

Temperatures passed 40ºC in large parts of Spain, significantly higher than normal for this time of year.

Officials advised people to drink plenty of fluids and stay indoors or in the shade as much as possible.

"This early, record-breaking heatwave, coming on top of another heatwave less than a month ago... is extraordinarily worrying," said Spain's minister for ecological transition, Teresa Ribera.

Temperatures were expected to hit 43ºC in Cordoba in the south, 41ºC in Badajoz in the west and 40ºC in Toledo in the centre, according to meteorological agency AEMET.

On Monday the highest temperature recorded was 42.9ºC in the southern town of Montoro, near Cordoba.

AEMET described the risk of wildfires as "extreme" across Spain except for the northern region of Asturias and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.

The heatwave began at the weekend and is expected to persist until at least Saturday, with temperatures between 7ºC and 12ºC higher than the average for this time of the year, said AEMET.

"It is not normal to have such an extreme heatwave at this time of the year," AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo said.

The extreme weather, which arrived on a wave of hot air from north Africa, is headed for southwest France.

National forecaster Meteo France has warned of peak temperatures of more than 40ºC in the south-west between Thursday and Saturday, with the whole country set to experience a hotter-than-usual spell.

French government spokesperson Olivia Gregoire called for vigilance, warning that the elderly, people living alone and the homeless were particularly at risk.

Spain grappled with a heatwave at the end of May, with temperatures up to 15ºC above the seasonal average.

Last month was Spain’s hottest May since the beginning of the century.

Heatwaves have become more likely due to climate change, scientists say, and are predicted to become more intense and widespread as global temperatures rise.