Irish holidaymakers in Spain sizzle as African heatwave brings 44C highs

According to Spanish state weather agency AEMET, the extreme heat will remain until July 25.

Most of Spain is affected, with 11 provinces on alert for dangerous conditions. The mercury is expected to exceed 40C in Jaen and Cordoba, where amber-level warnings are in place.

Areas on yellow alert for temperatures in the high 30s are; Granada, Huelva, Sevilla, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Toledo and the Community of Madrid. Even in the north, AEMET predicts an increase of up to 10C in parts of Navarra, the Basque Country, La Rioja, north of Burgos and the interior of Cantabria.

The arrival of a huge anticyclone will bring a mass of hot and dry air from north Africa to the Iberian Peninsula.

The air will carry Saharan dust and cause a significant rise in temperatures.

Weather experts do not rule out record-breaking temperatures, with many areas in the south and centre of the country expected to near 45C.

The ‘exceptionally high temperatures’ will affect practically all of Spain – except the northwest quadrant and the Cantabrian area.

Temperatures may exceed 40C in large areas of southern Castilla-La Mancha, southern Extremadura and much of inland Andalucia, where they could even reach 44C in the Guadalquivir valley, according to AEMET.

Friday will be the hottest day, with minimum temperatures in the south not falling below 24C.

Meanwhile the maximum temperatures will remain very high or even rise on the eastern coast, in the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands.

Temperatures will exceed 40C in large areas of the south as well as in the Ebro Valley.

Throughout Friday, the mercury will sit between 40C and 44C in capitals such as Albacete, Badajoz, Caceres, Ciudad Real, Cordoba, Granada, Guadalajara, Lleida, Jaen, Logroño, Madrid, Murcia, Sevilla, Toledo, Teruel and Zaragoza, among others.

Temperatures in the north and in Mallorca will reach highs of 38C.