MADRID, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) warned on Wednesday that temperatures in large parts of Spain will surpass 40 degrees centigrade and no relief is expected until after the weekend.
Most of Spain's 17 autonomous communities, except for the Canary Islands, are on alert for extreme temperatures, with some regions, including Andalusia and Extremadura (southern Spain), on red alert.
Thermometers climbed to 44 degrees in Extremadura on Tuesday, and the heatwave is expected to reach Jaen, Granada, Cordoba and Seville on Wednesday.
The capital of Madrid will have to endure 41 degrees, the same as Aragon (northeast of Spain), while the central regions of Castille-Leon and Castille-La Mancha will have to coop with temperatures of between 41 and 43 degrees, and Comunidad Valenciana with 40 degrees.
Northern Spain will not escape the heatwave, either, with 39-42 degrees predicted in parts of Galicia (northwest Spain) and 40 degrees in the Communities of La Rioja and Navarre and 39 degrees in the Basque Region.
AEMET's coordinator of information, Cayetano Torres told Xinhua that extreme weather conditions are here to stay.
"We are experiencing (more frequent) heatwaves, which last longer, and which are more intense and arrive earlier in the year. This implies that climate change is pushing up temperatures and leading to desertification," he said.
AEMET has also warned of the health risks associated with the red and orange alerts, which now apply to virtually all of Spain. The "Extreme" and "Very High" alert also implies a high risk of forest fires.
The fire in the region of Las Hurdas (Extremadura) is still out of control after burning off 3,500 hectares of land. Firemen are also fighting to control another wildfire in the woodland close to the town of Collado Mediano in the Sierra de Madrid.
Spain has suffered over 250 wildfires so far in 2022, which have burned off over 90,000 hectares of land -- already surpassing the losses reported in 2021. ■
