Spain heats up under 1st heatwave of the year as Southern Europe swelters

Spain sweated under its first official heatwave of the year with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celcius (104 Fahrenheit) in a large swathe of the country on Thursday, while Italy, Greece and other areas of southern Europe also struggled to stay cool.

After a relatively bearable spring compared to record heat in 2023 and 2022, millions of Spaniards will be sweltering at least through Saturday before feeling any relief. The nation’s weather authority said the only areas to be spared will be the northwest and northern Atlantic coasts.

Weather forecasters said a large mass of hot air travelling across the Mediterranean from northern Africa will settle over central and southern Spain. That, combined with the typical harsh summer sun, will make cities like the beautiful medieval cites of Sevilla, Toledo, and Granada bake.

The hottest area will be the southern Guadalquivir river basin where thermometers could reach 44C (111F). Six regions are under alerts for high temperatures.

2022 was the hottest year for Spain since it started keeping records in 1961. 2023 came in as the second hottest year. The first heatwave for last year arrived in June.

Authorities and experts agree that climate change is behind the rise in temperatures that is also feeding prolonged droughts and wildfires in the Mediterranean and other parts of the world.

In Spain, a heat wave is a minimum of three consecutive days during which at least 10% of weather stations register highs above the 95% percentile of average maximum temperatures for July and August.

Hot, dry winds scorched Greece, where a prolonged heatwave was at its peak on Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures touched 43C (109F) in several parts of the country, while night-time temperatures in parts of Athens remained above 30C (86F) for the past 10 days.

The conditions have led to dozens of wildfires, with firefighters tackling 42 blazes across the country on Wednesday. The most severe was in a dense pine forest in the region of Corinth in southern Greece, where 25 water-dropping aircraft were deployed to help ground forces battling the flames. Three firefighters were lightly injured, while one more suffered a heart attack, authorities said.

“We appeal to the public to be particularly careful as over the next few days there is a very high risk of the outbreak of serious wildfires,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “Even one spark can cause a major catastrophe.”

Italy put 14 cities put under the highest level of alert and temperatures are expected to climb above 40C, especially in the central and southern regions. The health ministry said it will further extend the red alert to 17 Italian cities on Friday, as the intense heat was forecast to continue until Sunday.

On Tuesday, Serbia's state power company reported record consumption due to the use of air conditioning.