British holidaymakers heading to Spain are being warned to take immediate precautions as the popular holiday hotspot braces for a blistering 47C "furnace". Spain is on the brink of its third brutal heatwave of an already record-shattering summer. Temperatures are projected to soar close to the country's all-time record of 47.6C, leaving tourist hotspots sweltering under dangerous weather conditions.
Heat dome drives extreme temperatures
Spain’s national meteorological agency, AEMET, has warned that the extreme heat will grip the region for the entire week. The sweltering conditions are being driven by a severe “heat dome” - a weather phenomenon that pumps hot, dry air northwards from the Sahara Desert across North Africa.
Forecasters at Severe Weather Europe (SWE) have branded the event an “unforgiving atmospheric furnace,” warning it could be one of the “most intense and dangerous early-summer thermal anomalies in recent history.”
Regional temperature forecasts
Parts of mainland Spain are expected to be noticeably hotter than North Africa over the next week, with peak temperatures having hit around 4pm on Thursday (July 24). The famous tourist city of Malaga was expected to hit a scorching 45C, while the rest of the popular southern Spanish region expected highs of 44C. The Catalonian region - home to iconic cities like Barcelona and Tarragona - was predicted to see temperatures pushing 42C.
Health warnings and casualties
Regional Health Minister Antonio Sanz urged tourists and locals alike to exercise extreme caution, noting that emergency services have already handled "nearly 1,300 emergencies due to heat-related illnesses". "I want to emphasise the need for caution, awareness, prevention, and responsibility," he warned. As such, holidaymakers travelling to Spain this week are strongly advised to stay hydrated, avoid the sun during peak afternoon hours, follow local authority advice and remain vigilant regarding fire safety warnings.
The health warnings come as the Carlos III Health Institute revealed that at least 1,028 people died from heat-related issues during June's initial heatwave alone.
Wildfire risks and devastation
The relentless heat has pushed wildfire risks to "extreme" levels across vast swathes of the country. AEMET has highlighted high-risk zones, including the southeastern third of Spain, the Guadalquivir, Ebro and Pyrenees valleys, as well as the interior of the popular holiday island of Majorca. Forecasters have also raised the alarm over potential "dry thunderstorms" across mountainous eastern regions, which could spark further blazes.
Spain is currently the European Union’s most fire-affected nation this year. Copernicus wildfire monitoring data reveals a staggering 104,423 hectares have already burned in 2026 - more than double the area destroyed in neighbouring France. The infernos have already forced over 1,000 people to evacuate their homes, destroying 26,000 hectares of land in a single day. In Almeria province, a blaze near Bedar recently claimed at least 13 lives, making it one of the country's deadliest fires in decades.
Records and context
Spain’s current heat record stands at 47.6C, recorded in La Rambla, Cordoba, in August 2021. The all-time European record remains 48.8C, set in Sicily during the same month. The crisis in Spain follows an unprecedented summer of extreme weather across the continent, with France recently smashing its own national heat record at a blistering 43.8C.
