Spain is bracing for a significant heatwave this weekend, with temperatures expected to soar across much of the country. The settled weather pattern will bring clear skies and rising temperatures, particularly in the southern regions, where the mercury could approach 38°C in the coming days.
Saturday will see a weak weather front bringing light showers to Galicia and the Cantabrian coast, but elsewhere, skies will remain mostly clear. The Pyrenees may experience locally heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon. Temperatures are climbing sharply, with many provincial capitals exceeding 30°C. The Ebro, Tagus, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir valleys will approach or surpass 32°C, with the Guadalquivir valley potentially reaching above 34°C.
Sunday: The Hottest Day
Sunday is expected to be the warmest day of the weekend, with clear skies dominating almost everywhere. Wide areas of central and southern Spain will reach 34°C, with Madrid hovering around that figure. Seville and Córdoba will hit 36°C in the middle of the day. Even along the Cantabrian coast, temperatures will rise sharply compared to Saturday.
Between Monday and Wednesday, the pattern will change little. Settled weather will continue, with very little rain over most of the country. The Cantabrian area will retain intervals of cloud and some light showers, and isolated afternoon thunderstorms may develop in the northern and eastern mountain ranges. Madrid will spend much of the week between 33 and 34°C, with night-time lows not falling below 17°C. In the Guadiana and Guadalquivir valleys, temperatures could reach or exceed 38°C, with Seville and Córdoba among the most affected provincial capitals.
On the Mediterranean coast, the heat will be more moderate thanks to the influence of the sea. Barcelona will see highs of between 25 and 27°C, with mild nights and minimum temperatures close to 20°C. In the north and east, there is still some uncertainty about the exact figures, but the heat will remain the main story inland. Seasonal forecasts for the summer of 2026 point to above-normal temperatures, especially in the interior of the peninsula, the east, the northeast, and the Mediterranean area.
Towards the second half of the week, models suggest another rise in temperatures, although further updates are needed to confirm this.
Canary Islands: Trade Winds and Cloud
In the Canary Islands, the trade wind regime will remain the dominant feature over the weekend and into the first few days of the week. Gusts above 80 kilometres per hour are expected in the most exposed areas, with rough seas around the archipelago. Cloud will gather on the northern slopes of the more mountainous islands, where drizzle is possible, while the south will enjoy more hours of sunshine. Temperatures will be mild and stable, with highs of between 23 and 25°C on the coast and slightly cooler values in mid-altitude areas.
This spell of weather comes in the context of the deadliest May on record in Spain due to heat, with 101 deaths attributed to high temperatures, a figure 3.6 times the average for that month over the past decade. Sea temperatures along the Spanish coast also ended May at record highs, with unusually warm waters stretching from Galicia and the Cantabrian Sea to the Mediterranean.
As Spain continues to grapple with rising temperatures, the country's renewable energy sector has been a bright spot. Solar energy saved Europe €12.8 billion since the Iran war began, with Spain leading the renewables race. However, the heatwave also raises concerns about overtourism, as Spain, Italy, and France lead anti-tourism sentiment across Europe.
