Spain’s meteorological service “Aemet” reported that from Tuesday the country will be hit by the third summer heat wave, although Spain is still battling powerful forest fires in several regions.
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The Spanish state meteorological agency shared forecasts: it is indicated that temperatures will start to rise on Saturday, and from Tuesday it will simply scorch and will not drop at least until Thursday.
As explained by “Aemet,” this phenomenon is the result of an atmospheric blocking pattern, reinforced by a detached low-pressure area to the west of the peninsula. This combination allows a mass of warm, dry air from North Africa, saturated with lifted dust, to settle over most of Spain and the Balearic Islands.
As a result, temperatures will gradually rise and reach their peak on Thursday, and in parts of southeastern mainland Spain, temperatures may approach or even exceed 45 degrees in some places.
In Andalusia, the Ebro valley, the northeastern depressions, the Genil basin, and the middle of Mallorca island, the highest heat readings will be recorded: it is predicted that in certain areas the maximum temperature will exceed 40 degrees for several consecutive days.
Additionally, nights will remain especially warm, which “Aemet” considers a very dangerous factor for health, as the body has no chance to cool down after the daytime heat.
Experts see two biggest problems Spain will have to face next week: health damage and fire risk.
It is indicated that the most vulnerable social groups should be especially cautious: elderly people and patients with cardiovascular diseases. The agency urges people to take maximum precautions, especially on Thursday, when the heat is expected to reach its peak.
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At the same time, the risk of forest fires will rise to an extreme level – the situation will be further worsened by the likelihood that dry thunderstorms will occur in mountainous areas in the afternoon, bringing lightning but almost no rain – a particularly favorable combination for new fires.
This summer is already becoming an exceptional case in history. From June 1 to July 15, the average air temperature in Spain was 3.3 degrees higher than usual and 0.4 degrees above the record set during the same period in 2024.
Concerns about forest fires
The rise of the thermometer this weekend, even before the official start of the heat wave, coincides with two forest fires that have been raging uncontrollably for several days. The most serious of them, which started on Wednesday in the Zaragoza region, has become the most devastating fire in Spain this year. Preliminary data indicate that the burned area is about 15.4 thousand hectares, with a perimeter of about 60 kilometers.
Several towns remain evacuated, and according to the regional government’s vice president Mar Vaquero, conditions on this Saturday were slightly more favorable than the previous day, although the fire is still complicated due to changing winds in this area.
The second active fire front is in the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara mountains, in the municipality of La Mierlos, where a fire was also recorded on Thursday. Government representative in Castilla-La Mancha Jose Pablo Sabrido acknowledged that the fire is already approaching the 6 thousand hectare mark and that authorities are not optimistic about its development.
Assessing the situation, “Aemet” head and Secretary of State for Environment Hugo Morán said in an interview with Radio 5 that the country has entered what he described as a chain of successive heat waves – a situation that complicates efforts to manage forest fire risks.
