Warning of exceptionally high temperatures in Spain for time of year, with up to 40C forecast this week

The hoped for April showers in Spain have, so far, failed to materialise and drought concerns remain as some reservoirs remain at critically low levels. And to make things worse, the long-awaited rain is not expected to arrive before the month draws to an end.

This week, the state weather agency (Aemet) is warning that the mercury will rocket: “The temperatures that we expect will be typical of the last week of June: they will be between 6 and 10C above the normal average across most of Spain”, it warned. In the case of Malaga province, inland municipalities such as Antequera, Cártama, Álora and Coín will likely register maximum temperatures of between 33 and 36 degrees.

Not only high maximum temperatures are forecast. The minimums will also be high, ranging between 17 and 19 degrees in most municipalities of Malaga. These high temperatures will also be accompanied by an almost total absence of rainfall during the week, "so it is increasingly likely that April 2023 will be the driest on record in Spain, Aemet added.

Since yesterday (Sunday), a high pressure system over the country will once again dominate the weather this week , accompanied by the entry of an Atlantic mass of warm air. The result will be maximums that could exceed 30C not only in the south of the mainland, as in recent weeks, but also in the centre and even the north of Spain. It could even hit 40 degrees in the Guadalquivir area. Some experts have already dubbed it the 'Iberian oven'.