Storms and red heat in Valencia and Alicante on Thursday as temperatures rise to 44C

AEMET issued a weather warning red for extreme heat in parts of the Valencia coastline and northern Alicante on Wednesday, August 19. Temperatures are expected to reach 44C in Valencia and up to 42C in northern Alicante. On Thursday, parts of eastern Spain are expected to experience storms, hailstorms and a dramatic temperature drop.

AEMET The warning has been issued for temperatures to reach 44 degrees in Alicante’s north. The heat index is a measure of humidity and can be as high at 54 degrees. The worst-affected areas. Valencia should see temperatures of 43 degrees. Parts of the Valencia interior are expected to rise above 44. Alicante and the southern coast are under a low alert level, so today’s weather should be less extreme.

Twelve other regions, including Andalucía, Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha and Cataluña, remain under lower orange or yellow warnings today, with highs of between 34 and 42 degrees inland. AEMET has only classified Valencia and northern Alicante as dangerous enough to warrant the top level. This shows how localised this spike is.

Why a DANA stuck in the Saharan heat?

The spike is caused by a DANA, a cut-off system of low pressure that has broken free from the jetstream. This DANA is located near southern Portugal or Morocco and drags the Saharan airmas north. AEMET reported that a strong westerly wind (poniente), which is blowing during the hottest afternoon hours, adds to the effect.

Valencia has 162 municipalities under the red alert. These are spread out across its northern, southern, and central coastal zones. Alicante’s northern region also includes 67 municipalities. The alert runs from 1pm to 9pm, covering the hottest stretch of the day, and residents have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and follow the guidance of Protección Civil, Spain’s civil protection service. 

Wildfire risk has pushed the region to its highest level alert

After a period of extreme drought, vegetation becomes parched. One of the driest summers on recordAEMET warned of the dangers of fires spreading quickly today, due to wind and dry conditions. Generalitat Valenciana has raised its wildfire alert status to Pre-emergency Level 3 The Forest Trails and Natural Parks are closed from Wednesday to Friday. 

More than 300 firefightersThe Valencia province was covered by a total of six heavy forest fire trucks, which were on standby until 10pm. Six heavy fire trucks are stationed near Sagunt, Paterna Torrent Gandia Alzira Requena.

In Valencia, the authorities have closed several monuments, extended the hours of public swimming pools to 9pm, and suspended street markets in order to keep people out of direct sunlight during the worst heat. In both provinces, smaller towns have reported similar precautions.

Thursday brings a dramatic change. A 10-degree crash with hail.

Meteorologists believe the same weather systems responsible for Wednesday’s spike are about to reverse this trend. By Thursday, Temperatures across the northern and southern parts of Spain are forecast to fall by up to 10 degreesZaragoza is expected to fall from 43 degrees to 37, Murcia will drop from 42 degrees to 37, and Sevilla will drop from 39 degrees to 31.

Further north the change will be even sharper, with Burgos falling from 35 to 26 degrees and León dropping from 33 to as low as 23 degrees. The change is due to a trough bringing cooler air from the north west across the Peninsula.

The storms will return The cooler air will bring hail, strong gusts of wind and intense rainfall in some areas. Forecasters said Valencia could experience up to 100 litres/square metre of rainfall It is expected that the rainiest spells will occur in the afternoons and evenings. 

The summer is already breaking records.

As the system moves slowly across the peninsula, the weather is likely to remain unsettling. Further showers and storms may occur into the weekend. Keep an eye on AEMET’s short-term weather forecasts if you have outdoor plans for the next few days. Conditions can change quickly, as they did this week.

The alert on Wednesday is also indicative of a larger pattern. It marked Valencia has experienced a heat warning for the fifth consecutive yearThe region experienced its warmest first half since 1950 with temperatures averaging 2.8°C above normal. 

Residents and tourists in Valencia and Alicante are facing two days that are very different: today is one of the warmest of the summer, followed by a hailstorm, strong winds and a sudden drop in temperatures tomorrow.