Spain and Portugal swelter in record May temperatures

Thermometers set to push 40C in Spain and Portugal. Image by Mack Male / CC BY-SA 2.0

Summer has arrived early in Spain and Portugal with thermometers set to push 40C in both countries this week. The Aemet state weather agency has issued heat warnings in 23 of Spain’s 50 provinces. The highest temperatures of more than 40C are expected to hit Seville and Cordoba on the mainland, while Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote in Spain’s Canary Islands could bake in temperatures as high as 38C. The weather in Seville is poised to break all previous May records. The heat wave is due to a blast of hot, dry air from North Africa that has blown over to southern Europe, also bringing with it Saharan dust that is expected to compromise air quality in Portugal this week. Read more: elpais.com