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The first heat wave of the year has officially ended and while we can expect a little relief, the mercury will remain very high in most parts of Spain for a few more days at least. Temperatures will continue to hit a sweltering 40°C in large areas of the southwest and northeast, and heat warnings remain in effect in many regions.

 

Nights will also continue to be stifling but the good news is that things should become progressively cooler – relatively speaking, anyway – as we go through the weekend.

 

 

A lingering front will result in unstable weather, overcast skies and light but persistent rain in much of northern Spain on Thursday. In the south of the country, sun will give way to developing cloudiness and even the chance of thundery showers later in the afternoon.

 

Temperatures will drop sharply in the southwest while remaining largely unchanged along the east coast. Even with these dips, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) still expects highs of 34ºC to 36ºC in much of the south and maximums exceeding 40ºC in the Guadalquivir Valley, the Tagus Valley, the Guadiana Valley and Extremadura.

 

Night-time temperatures won’t fall much below 20ºC.

 

Orange alerts for extreme temperatures have been activated in Andalucía, Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Madrid.

 

 

Friday’s forecast is almost identical to the previous day, with skies becoming increasingly cloudy towards the evening and a chance of brief thunderstorms in most parts of southern Spain.

 

Temperatures will fall in the west but thermometers will begin to climb once more in the east of the country.

The entire Mediterranean coast can expect another uncomfortable night with temperatures failing to drop below 20ºC.

 

Orange alerts for extreme temperatures remain active in Andalucía, Castilla y Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Madrid.

 

 

The heat warnings have been downgraded to yellow on Saturday but the alerts are active in Andalucía, the Region of Murcia and the Valencian Community, where daytime highs are tipped to hover around the mid-30s.

 

The unsettled weather will be confined to the northeast on Saturday; everywhere else can look forward to mostly clear or slightly cloudy skies.

 

 

All of the weather alerts have been lifted for Sunday, but this doesn’t mean it won’t still be extremely hot. In fact, the mercury is likely to rise in large parts of the southwest and will still exceed 40ºC in the middle reaches of the Guadalquivir Valley.

 

Low cloud cover will persist in the Cantabrian region and Galicia, extending to the extreme northeast in the late afternoon. In addition, abundant daytime cloud cover will develop, with showers and thunderstorms likely in the northeast. Heavy showers are possible in the Pyrenees and surrounding areas.

 

Everywhere else can expect a dry, bright and sunny Sunday.

 

 

Images: Aemet