People waved fans, drank water and sought out the shade of parasols in Spain on Saturday (May 21) as the country experienced temperatures up to 16 Celsius (61 Fahrenheit) higher than the May average.
In the Spanish capital, workers battled the heat with lots of water and spending time under shade.
“This year May seems to have gone directly to summer, but we have to keep going,” street sweeper Rocio Vazquez said.
“It’s scorching but it’s our job and has to be done.”
Madrid residents were seeing at bars terraces fighting the heat with cold drinks.
On Friday, May temperature records were broken in the city of Jaen, Andalusia, which recorded 40 Celsius (104 Farenheit).
National weather agency AEMET said average temperatures in the city were 16C higher than average for this time of year.
Spain’s weather agency did not consider the episode as a heatwave so far in the “strict climatological sense” as conditions must include more than 10 % of the territory affected, last three or more days and temperatures within 5% of the highest temperatures in July and August.
The fire risk level on Friday was “very high” and “extreme” in different parts of the country.
(Reuters)
