THE highest temperature ever recorded in Spain's history was reached in inland Andalucía on Thursday, the State meteorological agency AEMET confirmed today.

Córdoba airport registered 46.9ºC in the shade, the hottest figure known out of direct sunlight.

Until now, the highest temperature ever recorded in Spain was on July 23, 1995 – also in Córdoba – at 46.6ºC.

Another weather station in the province, in the town of Montoro, is said to have shown the mercury soaring to 47.3ºC yesterday (Friday), but this has yet to be verified.

This would beat the record of July 4, 1994 from an 'unofficial' weather station in Murcia, which showed a figure of 47.2ºC.

Another unofficial reading taken in the Guadalquivir river valley reached 46.9ºC yesterday.

Córdoba, Jaén and Granada were on 'red alert' for heat yesterday with the rest of Andalucía on 'orange', but has now dropped to 'orange for the first three provinces and 'yellow' for the remainder of the region.