TEMPERATURES were set to soar above 40℃ across large parts of Spain and Portugal today as the Iberian Peninsula faces a second heat wave in less than a month.

The mercury was to hit 42℃ in Spain’s southeastern region of Extremadura and 41℃ in Andalusia, Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET said.

Temperatures in Spain’s normally cooler northwestern region of Galicia were predicted to rise above 35℃.

“This heatwave really has the potential to be exceptional,” said AEMET spokesman Ruben del Campo.

The heat wave began yesterday and could “last nine or 10 days, which would make it one of the three longest heat waves Spain has seen since 1975”, he told AFP.

Heat waves have become more likely due to climate change, scientists say. As global temperatures rise over time, heat waves are expected to become more frequent and intense.

June also saw Spain grapple with temperatures above 40℃ in swathes of the country.

And the previous month was Spain’s hottest May since the beginning of the century.

Last August, Spain recorded its highest ever temperature when the mercury reached 47.4℃ in the southern town of Montoro.

In neighbouring Portugal, the thermometer topped 44℃ over the weekend, fuelling wildfires and vast smoke clouds, which were visible in the capital Lisbon.

Firefighters brought under control today the largest blaze, which was burning in the central municipality of Ourem, local officials said.

While temperatures eased somewhat in Portugal today, they were expected to soar again in the coming days with 44℃ forecast for the southeastern city of Evora.

Water reservoirs in Spain stood at 45.3% of capacity today, well below the average of 65.7% recorded during this period over the past decade. – July 11, 2022.