Refreshing rain due after 'orange' heat alert

But bad news for anyone who hates cleaning their pool or car – the atmospheric depression will come with a cloud of Sahara sand, creating the fairly commonplace 'red rain' that makes a mess of both.

Clouds were due to start gathering today across the Gulf of Cádiz and the western and north-eastern mountains, and expected to reach the Mediterranean towards the end of this week.

Spain has not seen the last of the summer temperatures, though: The mercury will continue to hover at around 40ºC or 41ºC in the Guadalquivir valley and the Guadiana area – inland Andalucía, one of the hottest parts of the mainland in summer – only dipping briefly around today and tomorrow.

High winds, forked lightning and even hail are possible.

Island dwellers will escape: The Canaries are expected to be dry, and only scattered showers are forecast in the Balearics.

This comes after two days of extreme heat in the west and south-west, especially inland, including parts of southern Castilla-La Mancha, northern and western Andalucía, and in the singularly-misnamed 'Extremaduran Siberia'.

Other than Huelva and Málaga, the whole of Andalucía was on 'orange alert' yesterday over forecast highs of between 39ºC and 41ºC in the shade.

Little change was seen on the Mediterranean, although Madrid was expected to hit 37ºC and, in the centre-northern region of Castilla y León, the provinces of Ávila, Zamora, Valladolid, Salamanca, Segovia and Soria were on 'yellow alert' for highs of 34ºC to 38ºC – the lower end of which is fairly standard at this time of year on the east and south coasts and the islands, but which comes as a culture shock in Castilla y León, a region which experiences some of Spain's coldest winters.