Spain is entering what officials describe as a critical period of intense heat, with the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warning that temperatures will begin a steady climb this Saturday. Forecasts indicate that the heat will intensify starting Tuesday, July 22, and is unlikely to subside before at least Thursday, July 23. Aemet suggests that Monday could also be officially classified as part of this heatwave if incoming data confirms the trend, marking the third such event this summer.
The current weather pattern is driven by an atmospheric blocking system reinforced by a cut-off low situated to the west of the Iberian Peninsula. This configuration is channeling a mass of dry, warm air from North Africa, accompanied by suspended dust, across the mainland and the Balearic Islands. Temperatures are projected to peak on Thursday, with readings expected to reach or exceed 45ºC in the south-eastern third of the country. Regions including Andalusia, the Ebro valley, north-eastern depressions, the Genil basin, and the interior of Mallorca are expected to experience sustained maximums above 40ºC for several consecutive days.
Aemet has expressed particular concern regarding warm nights, which prevent the body from recovering from daytime heat and pose significant health risks, especially to the elderly and those with cardiovascular conditions. The agency is urging the public to exercise maximum caution, particularly during the peak of the heat on Thursday. Beyond the direct health impact, extreme heat is driving forest fire risks to critical levels. This danger is exacerbated by the potential for dry afternoon thunderstorms in mountainous regions, which provide lightning but little rainfall, creating conditions highly conducive to new ignitions.
This summer has already reached record-breaking levels; between June 1 and July 15, average temperatures in Spain were 3.3ºC above normal, surpassing the previous record set in 2024 by 0.4ºC. Hugo Morán, the president of Aemet and secretary of state for the environment, noted in a recent interview that the country is currently enduring a chain of successive heatwaves that is severely complicating wildfire containment efforts.
Two major fires are currently burning out of control. The most destructive, which began Wednesday near Orés in Zaragoza, has consumed approximately 15,400 hectares with a 60-kilometre perimeter. While Mar Vaquero, vice president of the Aragon regional government, indicated that conditions were slightly more favorable this Saturday, shifting winds continue to make the situation complex. Meanwhile, a second blaze in the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara, specifically in the municipality of La Mierla, has reached nearly 6,000 hectares. José Pablo Sabrido, the government delegate in Castilla-La Mancha, noted that authorities remain pessimistic about the progress of the fire.
