Prepare for a hot weekend in Malaga province

The first heat wave of the summer is here. On Friday a warning was in place for four Andalusian provinces for temperatures of up to 40C.

In a statement the national Met Office, Aemet, said that after several weeks of "fairly widespread" instability, with showers, storms and cool temperatures, from today (Friday, 23 June) the anticyclonic situation will favour "strong sunshine". The "above normal" temperatures for this time of year are due to the arrival of a mass of hot air from Africa.

Aemet's director in Malaga, Jesús Riesco, told SUR that an easterly wind will mean that in Malaga city and the Costa del Sol the change will not be so noticeable. But inland areas, such as around the plain of Antequera and the upper Guadalhorce Valley, will see temperatures of 37-38C this weekend. These figures are well above average values for June, and are more typical of those in July and August.

Sunday will be the hottest day in Malaga city when Aemet forecasts that the mercury will rise by 4 or 5C to an expected 31C. In the Guadalhorce Valley, the forecast is for 38C in Pizarra, Coín (37C), Álora (36C) and Alhaurín el Grande (35C). In other inland areas such as Antequera and Ronda thermometers will reach 35 to 36C.

On the western Costa del Sol, from Torremolinos to Estepona, Aemet forecasts that maximum temperatures will not exceed 31-32C on Sunday, thanks to the easterly air flow.

Minimum temperatures, meanwhile, will remain high throughout this weekend, when Aemet expects "tropical nights" in much of Spain. In Malaga province these will not fall below 21C and will rise to 24C degrees from next Monday, when the heat will intensify.