Holidaymakers jetting to Europe face soaring temperatures during the coming days as another heatwave bakes many popular resorts. The mercury could top 40C in parts of Spain with scorching values also predicted for parts of Portugal, France and Italy.
Spanish Met Office AEMET has declared the third heatwave of the summer with hottest conditions forecast for the Costa del Sol, central regions and the Canary islands. The intense heat, especially across inland regions, is expected to last until Sunday or Monday.
UK visitors have been warned but the Foreign Office to be aware of the prospect of wildfires in Spain. An update read: "There is currently a heightened risk of forest fires due to exceptionally high temperatures in Spain."
An orange warning is in place for Cáceres and Badajoz, the provinces which form Extremadura, Salamanca, Ávila, Toledo, Seville, Córdoba, Jaén and Ourense. A yellow warning is in place for the following areas: Andalusia, Madrid, the Basque Country, Aragon, Catilla y Leon, Catalonia, Navarre, the Balearic Islands and La Rioja.
AEMET spokesperson Rubén del Campo said: "It is possible that the thresholds of intensity, persistence and extension could mean we can officially classify this as another heatwave.”
Temperatures in some areas of Spain have surged to 42C this week, with overnight highs in the mid 20s C. AEMET also reported the temperature of the Mediterranean had climbed between three and four degrees warmer than usual at this time of year.
Interactive forecaster WX Charts estimates the period of intense heat will continue until the middle of August. It shows temperatures will sit between 32C to 38C until Wednesday, August 17 - with some extremely hot spikes for southern and central parts.
Last month, highs of 45.7C were measured in parts of Spain and Portugal with more than 1,000 deaths attributed to the blowtorch temperatures. Wildfires also raged across the Mediterranean area from Greece in the east to Portugal in the west.
France is also under a state of emergency due to the continued hot weather with the whole country enduring strict water restrictions until further notice.
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