Spain has recorded its hottest June days since comparable records began in 1950 during the first major heatwave of the year, the national weather agency said on Wednesday.
Monday and Tuesday saw average temperatures above 28 degrees Celsius, around seven degrees higher than any other June day recorded in recent decades, AEMET spokesman José Ángel Núñez said, according to Spanish media reports.
The heatwave began in Spain on Sunday before spreading to France, Germany and other parts of Western Europe.
Temperatures were also unusually high on the island of Mallorca. Early on Sunday morning, temperatures reached 25.6 degrees Celsius, the highest reading for that time of day since 1978.
Many temperature records were broken in northern Spain, where extreme heat is less common than in the southern region of Andalusia.
In the village of Tama in the northern region of Cantabria, temperatures reached 43.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the highest ever recorded in the region.
Because residents in northern Spain are generally less accustomed to extreme heat, authorities issued the highest-level red alert in several areas, warning of an extreme threat to health.
Experts say human-induced climate change has significantly intensified the current heatwave affecting parts of Western Europe.
The highest temperatures of the year so far in Spain were measured on Monday in the Andalusian towns of Andújar and Montoro, where thermometers reached 45.1 degrees Celsius.
