SUMMER is far from over in most of Spain in meteorological terms – it does not officially end until the autumn equinox on September 21 – and the temperatures forecast for the coming week confirm this.
In many areas of the country, the second week in September will be at least as hot as July or August.
The weather office reveals Monday will bring figures of over 30ºC in much of the country, and above 35ºC in several parts.
In fact, the Andalucía provinces of Almería, Córdoba, Jaén and Sevilla – only the first of these being on the coast – and the two Basque provinces with a sea, Guipúzcoa (the capital of which is San Sebastián) and Vizcaya (of which Bilbao is the capital) will be under 'weather warnings' for the heat.
The rise in the mercury, which is across the board for Spain in the next two or three days, will be sharpest on the northern coastal strip of the mainland – mostly because this part of the country tends to cool down considerably from late August onwards, so a sudden spike of over 30ºC will be very much felt.
And this is expected in all provincial capitals except Barcelona, León, Tarragona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the two city-regions of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern African coast – although all of these will see temperatures in the high 20s.
The northern sea regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country could see the thermometer hit 34ºC, whilst Almería and the land-locked western province of Badajoz, in Extremadura, will rise to 36ºC.
Hotter still are Bilbao, Jaén and Ciudad Real – approximately in the middle of the mainland – with a forecast 37ºC, and Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada, plus most of the towns along the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir river valleys, are predicted to soar to 38ºC.
Morning mist and clear, sunny skies, dry storms, and a cloud covering respectively are predicted from east to west across the mainland, with possible strong east winds on the north and south coasts, and south winds everywhere else.
Although dropping by a couple of degrees after Monday, temperatures will remain consistently high in most of the country until at least Wednesday.
On the Mediterranean, a slight cooling is forecast for Thursday, with storms on Friday and a dry weekend.
