The episode of high temperatures affecting Spain will continue at least until the middle of next week, with records typical of mid-summer, historic records for May, and maximums around 40 ºC in the southern peninsula. Meanwhile, tropical nights will extend over large areas of the country. In Barcelona, there have already been four consecutive tropical nights (minimums of 20 ºC) at the Can Bruixa station in Barcelona, according to the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya.
Read more Taking the ‘Hondius’ to the Canary Islands saved the lives of those infected with hantavirus
“We are still immersed in this episode of high temperatures for this time of year. Temperature records for May are being broken,” said the spokesperson for the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), Rubén del Campo, who highlighted that at the Igueldo observatory in San Sebastián, “on Monday it did not drop below 24.5 ºC. This is a record for the month of May. It is 2.2 degrees higher than the previous record in a series of practically a century.”
The Aemet spokesperson added that at Santander airport “it reached 37.1 ºC on Tuesday, the highest figure for the month of May in a record that had been in place, with 36.8 ºC, since 1964.” The Santander observatory “has had more than five days with over 30 degrees in 2026. Since 1954, the maximum number of days between January and May had been two.”
Episodes with greater frequency and intensity than in previous decades
As Del Campo explained, these “unusually high temperatures” are due to “the presence of a powerful ridge over our latitudes.” “In this ridge, there is a phenomenon called subsidence. The air tends to descend from the upper layers to the lower layers. While it descends, it heats up because it undergoes compression and causes an additional thermal rise in ridges as powerful as the one affecting Western Europe,” he indicated.
The Aemet spokesperson also emphasized that “climate change causes episodes of high temperatures throughout the year with greater frequency and intensity than in previous decades. This episode fits within this context of climate change and what will be observed in the coming years.”
Also read
Rest of the week, full summer
Looking ahead to the coming days, Del Campo said that “very high temperatures will continue, between 5 and 10 degrees above normal and even 10 degrees above normal in the northern third.” Until Friday, a new rise in maximum and minimum temperatures is expected in much of the country, with values “typical of mid-summer.”
Read more What to do if the power goes out and how to prevent outages during the summer
“Temperatures will exceed 34 ºC in the interior of the Cantabrian communities, in the northeast, in the central area of the northern plateau, and in much of the center and southern area, with up to 38 degrees in the Guadiana, in Badajoz,” Del Campo pointed out. He also added that “there will be mornings with 20 degrees or more in the northeast of the peninsula and Mediterranean areas such as much of the center and south.” On Friday, intense heat will continue also in the Balearic Islands, where “the interior of Mallorca could reach 35 degrees.”
From Wednesday to Friday, sunshine will predominate, although Aemet does not rule out some haze in western areas or isolated storm showers in mountainous areas of the north. The “very stable” situation could persist until the middle of next week, with generally scarce rainfall.
Weekend
During the weekend, temperatures will drop “notably” in the Cantabrian communities due to the arrival of northern winds, although in the rest of the country they will remain at similar values or minimums could even rise in southern areas. Zaragoza and Badajoz will reach 38 ºC and “it is not ruled out that Seville reaches 40 ºC,” while Bilbao, Lugo, and Oviedo could stay around 25 degrees. Additionally, clouds of development and storms could form in mountainous areas of the north, east, and even the central peninsula.
In large areas of the country, elevated values for the season will persist and 34 to 36 ºC will be exceeded in areas of Galicia, the Cantabrian region, and the northern plateau, as well as in most of the southwestern quadrant and the northeastern third of the peninsula. Additionally, tropical nights, with minimums above 20 ºC, will occur in the southwest and in the Ebro.
Read more AI has already destroyed a quarter of the junior job supply in the digital sector in two years
