Friday, May 30th, “was the warmest day for May in Spain since record-keeping began in 1950,” Aemet stated on Twitter. The following day, Saturday, May 31st, also saw notably high temperatures, the agency noted.

According to preliminary data from Aemet, the average temperature for the entire day on Friday was 24.08°C, slightly higher than the previous record of 23.76°C set on May 21, 2022.

This heatwave, which affected the entire Iberian Peninsula through Sunday, led to an average temperature of 23.91°C on Saturday, May 31st.

Aemet reports that temperatures exceeded 40°C in the cities of Seville, Ubeda, and Córdoba in Andalusia, southern Spain. This surge in heat was driven by a very hot air mass originating from North Africa.

However, Spain has experienced similarly high temperatures in May before; notable instances occurred in 2015 and 2022.

“As we see, this scenario indicates that summer-like conditions are beginning earlier and more frequently, even though spring has not yet officially ended,” explained Aemet spokesperson Rubén del Campo.

Spain, a country on the frontlines of climate change, has seen its three warmest years on record in the past four, with numerous heatwaves and record-breaking temperatures.

Additionally, the recent winter was particularly mild, marking the second consecutive winter without a significant cold wave, Aemet highlighted. The meteorological agency recently emphasized that nine out of the last ten winters have been warmer than average.