The ongoing weather stability and high temperatures will depend on the behaviour of the heatwave named DANA in the Atlantic.
A new heat wave will reach the peninsula in the next few hours. Dry and sunny weather, accompanied by maximum temperatures equal to or above 38ºC, will be a constant feature over the next few days in some parts of the country.
Five communities are on orange alert, as the thermometers will register new highs. These include Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Castile and Leon, Castile-La Mancha and Extremadura. With regard to the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura, the maximum temperatures will be recorded in the Guadalquivir and Tagus valleys, with temperatures that could reach 40ºC.
In Seville, for example, the maximum on Sunday 10 July will be 38ºC and the minimum will be 23ºC, while in cities such as Cordoba and Badajoz the highs could reach 44ºC in the coming week. It will also be 42ºC in some parts of Minho.
The Canary archipelago, meanwhile, will reach an average temperature of 36ºC, largely caused by the heat waves which, in turn, will bring a reduction in visibility and which are not ruled out in areas such as Ceuta, Melilla and the extreme south of the peninsula.
A completely different situation to that which will be experienced on the Cantabrian coast, where maximum temperatures will barely reach 30ºC. In the western Cantabrian Sea, some low cloud intervals are expected, especially on the northern coast of Galicia.
In the rest of the islands, except for La Palma, the highs, also high, will reach between 37 and 38 degrees in the midlands and on south-facing summit slopes and inland areas of the eastern islands.
Tonight is expected to be “tropical nights”, when the minimum temperature does not fall below 20 degrees or “torrid nights”, when the thermometer marks minimum temperatures equal to or above 25 degrees; thus, Cádiz will mark 25 degrees at dawn, Cáceres 24 degrees and Madrid, Seville and Jaén, among others, 23 degrees.
This heat wave will continue tomorrow with maximum temperatures rising on the coast of Granada and Almeria and falling in the Canary Islands. They will remain unchanged in the rest, although with a predominance of rises; they will again reach 40 degrees or more in the Guadalquivir valley and in the interior of Huelva and the west of Extremadura.
In view of this situation, the Aemet is maintaining the orange alert (major risk) for intense heat in 5 regions – Madrid, Andalusia, Extremadura and both Castiles – and a yellow alert in 7 regions – Aragon, Galicia, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja and the Valencian Community – for Monday.
The Aemet has explained that the approach of a DANA from tomorrow to the west of the peninsula will cause the entry of African air “to further increase temperatures between Tuesday and at least Thursday, so it is very likely that these 3 days will be the peak period of this heatwave episode”.
At the moment, up to 7 communities – Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid and La Rioja – have activated for Tuesday the orange level for maximum temperatures ranging between 39 and 44 degrees.
The Aemet has reminded that minimum temperatures will also be high, especially from Tuesday, when they are likely to reach 22-26 degrees in the southwest of the peninsula and 20-22 degrees in the Ebro valley and the northern plateau.
The subsequent evolution of the Atlantic DANA is still uncertain – have specified from Aemet- to still affect the “great uncertainty” about the end of this episode of heat, and in which at the moment two scenarios are envisioned.
The heatwave is expected to go on until next weekend, while the second shows an approach of the DANA to the Peninsula from Friday, which would favour the beginning of a drop in temperatures in the west, sources from the Meteorological Agency have concluded.