Spaniard’s shelter in the shade in parks, go to the beaches or sip cold drinks to cope with temperatures soaring 43 degrees Celsius in the country’s second heat wave this year.
The official meteorological authority said that the hot summer sun, accompanied by a current of hot air coming from North Africa, led to a rise in temperatures. The authority indicated that the heat wave may continue until July 14.
She added that the highest temperature ever recorded was 43 degrees Celsius, at Nahr El Kabir, near Seville in southern Spain, and in Badajoz, to the west.
For Rasha, a 45-year-old Syrian health executive who resides in Dubai, this heat wave was an unpleasant surprise on her holiday in Spain.
“It’s not as fun as we had hoped for the holiday, but that’s how it is,” she said. And compared to the desert (the weather), it’s not that bad.”
Lazaro Con, 37, a construction worker from Guatemala, stayed in the shade of Madrid’s Casa del Campo Park to escape the heat.
“It’s hot, but at least with the breeze, you feel better,” he said. Meteorological Department spokesman Ruben del Campo told the media that temperatures could reach 44 degrees Celsius in Córdoba or Extremadura in the south of the country.
“It (temperatures) may also reach 42 degrees Celsius in regions (central 00plh,b) such as Castile, Leon and Galicia (in central and western Spain) on Tuesday and Wednesday,” he added.
The weather service said temperatures were expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius in the Canary Islands, a popular holiday destination.
And the spokesman for the Meteorological Authority advised citizens not to exercise excessively, to take care of the elderly and drink plenty of water.
He said the risk of wildfires during the heat wave is increasing.
According to the Meteorological Service, the Spaniards overcame an early heat wave in June for the first time since 1981.
