Spanish heatwave set to continue with 40C forecast

The respite will be short-lived. Spain's national meteorological agency (Aemet) has warned that a "warmer-than-normal" air mass is set to settle over the Iberian Peninsula in the coming days and threatens to bring back the most intense heat just in time for the weekend.

It will not arrive all at once, nor will it affect all areas equally. Northern Spain, for instance, will be one of the few exceptions. The Atlantic seaboard, with its cloud cover and winds, will act as a buffer and maintain "a milder atmosphere" while the rest of the country starts to swelter.

Forecasts indicate that the upswing will be particularly intense from the start of July. Weather models point to highs that could reach 42ºC in Seville on Thursday, while Badajoz will hover around 41ºC and Córdoba around 40ºC.

Other inland provincial capitals, such as Toledo, Ciudad Real, Jaén and Cáceres, could also come very close to that threshold, with forecast temperatures between 38 and 39ºC.

In short, it means that the temperatures hitting Spain are above the averages for late June. The situation will evolve as the week goes on and the relief of recent days, with mild dawns and somewhat cooler nights, will evaporate, with thermometers climbing back above 30ºC.

"It is likely that towards the end of the week the heat will once again be very intense across most of the country," warns Aemet. The models outline a scenario of temperatures above average for the turn of the month, especially in inland areas.