Spain faces a weather warning today as temperatures are forecast to reach 42 degrees, with wildfire risk rising to very high or extreme levels across much of the country. The heat is intensifying in the Balearics and in the east and south of the mainland, where wind and low humidity are adding to the danger.
Temperature forecasts show the sharpest heat in Zaragoza at 42 degrees, while Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Granada and Teruel are expected to reach 41 degrees. Jaén, Lleida, Pamplona and Toledo are set for 40 degrees, and Albacete, Huesca and Seville for 39 degrees. Madrid, Cáceres, Cuenca, Girona, Logroño, Murcia and Badajoz are expected to reach 37 to 38 degrees.
Pedro Sanchez and operational level 2
Pedro Sanchez said, “The emergency continues; we are downgrading to operational level 2, but will remain on alert” about the affected area between Madrid and Castilla y Leon. His statement leaves the emergency in place even as authorities move the response down a level, a split that matters for how quickly local services can keep treating the threat as active. Nearby residents have already felt the consequences: around 1,000 residents remained evacuated from housing developments near the San Juan reservoir west of the capital.
The Vall d'Uixo wildfire in Castellón province remained active, while residents evacuated from several small towns in Castellón province were allowed to return home. The warning sits on top of the second day of summer's fourth heatwave, with airborne dust expected in the east and south of the peninsula, the Balearics and the Canary Islands. A separate fire-weather alert in another region has also shown how quickly wind and dry air can turn a hot day into a higher-risk one.
Spain's wildfire risk today
Wind gusts could exceed 30 or 35 kilometres per hour in the interior of the mainland from midday onwards, adding to the wildfire risk already pushed higher by temperatures above 40 degrees. Airborne dust is expected to worsen air quality and increase smoke levels near forest fires, which leaves firefighters working in more difficult conditions while residents in exposed areas stay alert to fast-changing local instructions.
Tonight's minimum temperatures are also holding up the heat: they will not fall below 25 degrees in Jaén and Melilla, 24 degrees in Alicante, Barcelona and Madrid, and 23 degrees in Almería, Castellón, Ceuta, Huesca, Málaga, Tarragona, Valencia and Zaragoza, as well as the two Canary Islands' capital cities. Temperatures in the Canary Islands will exceed 34–36 degrees across large areas throughout the week, with mid-altitude areas of Gran Canaria staying above 28 degrees.
Friday and the weekend
Temperatures are most likely to fall again along the Cantabrian coast on Friday and over the weekend, offering the first clear sign of relief after today's peak. Until then, people in the highest-risk zones are dealing with a narrow margin between scorching heat, gusty wind and active fires, while the emergency response stays on alert rather than standing down.
