The early hours of this Tuesday, traditionally celebrated for years with bonfires in squares and on beaches, will arrive this year without flames across much of the country. The reason lies in the thermometer readings: Spain is facing on Tuesday the toughest day of the summer’s first heatwave, with five provinces on red alert and highs nudging 42°C.
The epicentre of the heat is precisely where it would be least expected, in the north of the country. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued red warnings for inland areas of the Basque Country and Cantabria. Andalusia is also raising alerts to red today because of the temperatures, while orange warnings are in place across around ten regions: the capital, for example, will hover around 40°C, Andalusia and Extremadura will exceed 42°C and the Ebro corridor will turn into an oven, with temperatures climbing past 41°C from midday.
The nights, equally stifling, will offer no respite either: forecasts suggest that temperatures in the small hours will not drop below 25°C across much of the country.
Extreme wildfire risk
Beyond the oppressive heat, attention is turning to a familiar feature of every summer: wildfires, which are currently keeping Catalonia on edge and putting regions such as Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community and Galicia on extreme alert.
