A FREAK hot spell rarely seen in February – the coldest month of Spain’s year – is on its way, with temperatures reaching almost 30ºC in parts during the day, according to the State meteorological agency, AEMET.
But early mornings will remain cold, meaning a difference of up to 25ºC between highs and lows on Saturday and Sunday this week.
Córdoba, traditionally one of Spain’s hottest mainland provinces due to its land-locked southern location, will experience temperatures that could reach 28ºC in the daytime, although at ‘commuter hour’ the mercury could plunge to 3ºC – a bizarre weather situation that could mean residents spend the day catching a tan and piling on the sunscreen, only to wrap up in thermals and extra quilts at night.
Sevilla and Jaén, two other inland Andalucía provinces which are also among the hottest in Spain in summer, will see temperatures of around 27ºC.
Land-locked provinces will be among the hottest – Guadalajara, Toledo, Cuenca, Albacete and Ciudad Real (Castilla-La Mancha), Ourense (Galicia), Álava, of which the capital is Vitoria (Basque Country), León, Valladolid, Burgos, Zamora, Palencia, Salamanca, Soria (Castilla y León), Teruel and Zaragoza (Aragón), Lleida (Catalunya), Badajoz (Extremadura) and Madrid will see the mercury shoot up to between 23ºC and 25ºC – an average of 20-24ºC higher during the day than at night.
The Canary Islands and the provinces of Granada (Andalucía), Pontevedra and Lugo (Galicia), Girona (Catalunya) and Vizcaya, of which the capital is Bilbao (Basque Country) are all expected to see temperatures ranging from around 22-24ºC.
AEMET says no rain is expected anywhere in Spain all week, and the thermometer will gradually creep up by the day, reaching a peak at the weekend.
It is not yet clear how long these unusual climates will remain.
In general, the mercury will sit around 10ºC higher than usual for the time of year, which AEMET explains is the result of an anti-cyclone heading for the European continent.
