Aemet activates amber weather alert for temperatures close to 40C in Malaga and on western strip of Costa del Sol

In the middle of the August long 'puente' (bridge) holiday weekend, with half of Spain on holiday and with the Malaga Feria being the centre of attention for hundreds of thousands of people, the high temperatures have returned to the province. It's normal, it's summer and the usual thing on the Costa del Sol is to have the thermometer above 30C for most of the day.

But this Sunday, 18 August, it will be even hotter. In fact, Spain's state weather agency (Aemet) has activated amber and yellow alerts for high temperatures, which will be active from 1pm to 9pm.

The amber (significant risk) weather warning refers to the metropolitan area of the city and the western strip of the Costa del Sol with temperatures of up to 38C and the Guadalhorce Valley, where temperatures may locally exceed 39 degrees. The hot 'terral' wind will cause temperatures to rise in Malaga, although especially in the morning, according to local expert Jose Luis Escudero writing on the SUR blog Rayos y Tormentas (storms and lightning).

Yellow alerts for the heat have also been activated in the Ronda and Antequera areas of Malaga province, also between 1pm and 9pm.

Across Andalucía this Sunday, Aemet has activated amber or yellow heat warnings across much of the region including the provinces of Cadiz, Huelva, Cordoba, Granada, Jaén and Seville.