Spain sweats under its first official heatwave of the year

People in Madrid grappled with sweltering heat on Friday as Spain sweated under its first official heatwave of the year.

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.

Tourists in Madrid felt the heat as they explored the Spanish capital on Friday.

"It (the heat) is too strong. I just fill my bottle of water every time I see a fountain," said Alexandro Cosiossio Mezza, a 19-year-old tourist from Peru.

2022 was the hottest year for Spain since it started keeping records in 1961, and 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.

Italy, Greece and other areas of southern Europe also struggled to stay cool.