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British tourists are set to face temperatures of almost 40C for the first time this year in the south of Spain and Portugal. Temperatures will be especially intense in the south of Spain such as parts of the Guadalquivir valley, like Córdoba and Seville.
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The Spanish State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued heat warnings, with the hot weather persisting for a couple of days.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) predicts a rise in the maximum temperature over the next few days, which could lead to an increase in rural fires.
A tourist uses a hand fan to cool off, in a street in Ronda, Spain
Reuters
The risk of wildfires has been classified as 'extreme' in some areas. Alerts have been issued to Zaragoza, inland Tarragona and south of Lleida, inland Valencia, Alicante, Murcia and Almeria.
In Portugal, the districts of Évora, Beja, Santarém, and Portalegre are under yellow warning until Friday night due to the persistence of high maximum temperatures.
The national Directorate-General for Health in Lisbon has recommended the population increase their intake of water or unsweetened natural fruit juices and avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages, as well as direct exposure to the sun between 11am and 5pm.
An IPMA spokesperson said: "The trend points to a small drop in temperature values during the weekend, however, maximum values should still remain high in the following days."
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Ronda, Spain
Reuters
Looking into next week, the weather will change over the next few days with a cold front that will cool things down initially in northern Spain before travelling southward.
There is also a chance for some rain across the eastern coastline next week, with some storms inland.
Temperatures on Saturday are expected to be around 25 degrees but it is expected to remain warm between 30 and 35 degrees in western Andalucia.
There have been warnings from Spanish meteorologists that this tourist season could even surpass the scorching temperatures of 2023, which broke all records for the past 30 years.
Hot weather in the South of SpainReutersDirector of the State Meteorological Agency in Malaga, Jesus Riesco said temperatures are "above the 1991-2020 climatological reference period."
He added: "It’s not unusual for Malaga...but the key will be the intensity of the heat."
However, Riesco was more optimistic about the situation in September, when "some DANAs (low-pressure systems) could bring intense precipitation."
It comes after Spain logged the warmest January since records began in 1961, with average temperatures last month reaching 8.4 degrees Celsius (47.1 Fahrenheit), 0.4 degrees above the previous record in 2016.
