Published on
19/06/2026 - 10:27 GMT+2
Summer has yet to begin officially, but much of Spain has already been sweltering for weeks. That situation will only intensify over the coming days: just as the new season begins, this Sunday 21 June, the country will enter a heatwave that experts describe as intense and that could push temperatures above 40°C.
According to Copernicus, the heat will start to bite this weekend in the centre and west of the continent before spreading to the rest, with Spain among the most affected territories. France will share centre stage: both countries could see temperatures close to 40°C to 45°C in their hottest areas.
The driver of this episode will be a ridge of warm, dry air moving up from Africa. Temperatures will already start to climb on Saturday, and on Sunday highs will reach 38°C in Galicia and along the Cantabrian coast, while in the Ebro, Tagus, Guadiana and Guadalquivir basins they could hit 40°C.
