Spain remained at the centre of a severe European heatwave on Tuesday, with much of the country enduring temperatures above 40C and meteorologists warning that the extreme conditions would persist for at least another day before easing later this week.
Madrid, where temperatures reached 40C on Monday and where a World Cup fan zone was closed due to the heat on Sunday, opened a special ‘climate refuge’ for homeless and vulnerable residents. The facility, operated by city hall between midday and 8pm, offers water, food and hygiene services to those most at risk from the heat.
Meanwhile, large parts of Spain have been gripped by what authorities describe as the first official heatwave of the summer. Temperatures have climbed beyond 40C in many areas, prompting widespread concern over how long the intense conditions will continue before any significant relief arrives.
According to meteorologists, little change is expected before Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to remain between 35C and more than 40C across extensive parts of the country.
The highest temperature recorded in Spain on Monday was 45.1C in Jaén (Andalusia). Forecasts indicate that temperatures on Tuesday above 40C are likely in Córdoba, Seville, Badajoz, Zaragoza, Logroño, Madrid and Bilbao.
Night-time temperatures are also remaining unusually high, with so-called tropical nights expected in cities including Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, where temperatures are forecast to stay above 20C after dark.
The Canary Islands remain the only part of Spain largely unaffected by the current heatwave.
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) issued red heat alerts on Monday for inland areas of the Basque Country, where temperatures climbed to 43C. Orange warnings covered much of Navarre, Aragón, inland Catalonia, Madrid, most of Castilla-La Mancha, parts of Extremadura and inland Andalusia, including Jaén and Córdoba. Yellow warnings were issued across most remaining regions.
From Tuesday, red alerts were extended to Córdoba and other inland parts of Andalusia, where temperatures could reach 44C. Red warnings are expected to remain in force in the Basque Country on Wednesday.
The heatwave is forecast to officially end on Thursday. According to Aemet, although temperatures will remain high, ‘it is expected that the criteria for a heatwave will no longer be met’.
Bilbao, where temperatures are expected to exceed 40C early this week, could see a drop of around 10C by Thursday. Temperatures are also expected to ease across much of the country later in the week, although many areas will remain warmer than is typical for late June. By the weekend, conditions should be closer to seasonal averages.
Heatwave across Europe
Across Europe, authorities continued to prepare for further extreme weather, with transport disruption, health warnings and concerns over rising numbers of heat-related deaths.
The latest heatwave has intensified concerns over the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations. Outdoor events have been cancelled, transport services disrupted and schools closed in several countries.
The episode follows another period of unusually high temperatures that affected western Europe just a month ago. Scientists say the growing frequency, duration and intensity of such heatwaves are among the clearest signs of human-driven global warming.
In France, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was due to chair a crisis meeting after weather service Meteo France reported that the country’s average temperature had reached a new June record.
Provisional figures showed average daytime and night-time temperatures of 29.2C on Monday, surpassing the previous June record set on 30 June 2025. The central village of Chateaumeillant recorded 43.3C.
French authorities linked the extreme weather to the deaths of two children, aged two and four, who were discovered in a family car in a residential parking area in Carpentras on Monday. A day earlier, three elderly residents died in a care facility in Gironde as a result of the heat.
French Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari said around 20 people had drowned since the start of the weekend and urged those seeking relief from the heat in rivers, lakes and coastal waters to follow safety advice.
Similar concerns emerged in Germany, where police reported five fatal swimming accidents over the weekend.
In Britain, forecasters warned that June temperature records could soon be broken. Just weeks after the country recorded its warmest May on record, the Met Office issued only the second highest-level heat warning in its history for parts of England.
‘It is now likely the current highest temperature on record for June will be broken, this being 35.6C recorded in Southampton in June 1976 and Camden Square in June 1957,’ the Met Office said.
Temperatures in southern England were expected to reach 37C on Tuesday, with some areas potentially seeing highs of 40C on Wednesday and Thursday.
The warning covers large parts of central and southern England, including London and Birmingham, from Wednesday morning until Thursday evening.
Several schools in southwest England announced plans to finish classes early, while a rail operator said some services from London would be cancelled or altered because of the ‘severe weather’.
Italy also remained on high alert. The health ministry issued red heatwave warnings for 15 cities, including Rome and Milan, on Tuesday, rising to 16 cities on Wednesday.
Under a red alert, authorities advise residents to remain indoors during the hottest part of the day, eat lightly and cool themselves regularly with water.
In Rome, transport operator Atac reported that batteries on the capital’s new electric buses were being depleted more quickly than usual because air-conditioning systems were running continuously.
‘We are organising the service to face up to this unusual heatwave,’ the Atac transport authority was quoted by the Corriere della Sera newspaper as saying.
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Mañana empieza la primera #OlaDeCalor de la temporada y estas son las temperaturas que esperamos para estos días. Mas de 15 grados por encima de lo habitual en areas del País Vasco y Navarra.
¡Mucha precaucion! pic.twitter.com/315S85YcDR— El Tiempo en TVE (@ElTiempo_tve) June 20, 2026
⚠️ OLA DE CALOR | Peligro importante en amplias zonas de la Península por temperaturas máximas muy altas.
🔴 Aviso rojo en zonas de Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia y Cantabria por más de 40 °C; en Córdoba y Jaén, podrán superarse los 44 °C. Peligro extraordinario. ¡Mucha precaución!
1/2 pic.twitter.com/lJB9bMufEm
— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) June 23, 2026
Predicción semanal:
➡️Lunes a miércoles: continúa la ola de calor en la Península y Baleares con máximas generalizadas por encima de 34 ºC , en los valles podrían superar los 40 ºC. Noches tropicales, generalizadas en Baleares, sur peninsular y valles del norte peninsular.
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/jZEEvE8ldi— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) June 22, 2026
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