The First Heatwave Brings the Year's Highest Temperatures Across Most of Alicante Province

The peak of the heatwave that has affected Alicante province since Friday occurred on Sunday. A mass of dry, warm air from the Sahara put the peninsula on alert, marking the first heatwave of the summer.

Over the weekend, temperatures soared, reaching nearly 40 degrees in several southern and inland municipalities of Alicante. Some even recorded the highest marks of the year.

Alicante reached 35.3 degrees on Sunday, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), which noted that several localities in the province have set temperature records for the year.

During the peak of the heatwave, Villena topped the list with 39.9 degrees, followed by Orihuela with 39.6 degrees, and Elche, Alcoi, Xàbia, Pinoso, and Novelda, all exceeding 37 degrees. Additionally, Pego and Rojales recorded 36 degrees, while Benidorm reached 33.8 degrees.

According to Aemet's social media on Sunday, "almost all stations in the state agency's network in Alicante province recorded the highest temperature of the year this Sunday."

The first heatwave of the summer concludes a record-breaking June. Not only with the highest temperatures of the year in Alicante but also as the warmest June in history, with an anomaly of 3.6 degrees, according to Aemet.

This surpasses June 2022 by one degree, closing with an average temperature of 25 degrees. In fact, it represents the largest temperature anomaly among all months of the year, even surpassing February 1990, which had a variation of 3.4 degrees, and March 2001, which closed with 3.3 degrees above the average.