The Last Two Days of May Set Record High Temperatures Since 1950

The Spanish State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has confirmed that May 30 and 31 were the warmest days for the month of May in mainland Spain since 1950. The previous warmest day was May 21, 2022, which has now been surpassed by the heat episodes experienced last Friday and Saturday, more typical of July. On those days, temperatures reached or exceeded 40ºC in large areas of the Guadalquivir and Guadiana Valleys, such as Huelva, Cádiz, Seville, Córdoba, and Badajoz, and over 30ºC in the rest of mainland Spain. Such high temperatures in May had not been seen in at least the last 75 years.

Furthermore, during this extraordinary heat episode for the time of year, several maximum temperature records were broken, such as in Zaragoza and Jerez de la Frontera, which reached 37.5 and 39.4 degrees on the 30th. In both cases, the previous record was surpassed by a degree or slightly more in the case of Jerez. "On the same day, May 30, the naval base in Rota reached 41 degrees, breaking the previous record of 38 degrees by 3 degrees," stated Aemet spokesperson Rubén del Campo.

On May 31, a maximum temperature record for May was also broken. "There were also record high minimum temperatures, with warm nights. For example, Cádiz did not drop below 22.9 degrees on May 30," Del Campo noted.

On Sunday, June 1, temperatures began to drop. Even so, temperatures exceeded 38 degrees in the Guadalquivir Valley. This Monday, the temperature drop will be noticeable across most of Spain, but especially in the northeastern peninsula, where the decrease will be up to 10 degrees compared to the previous day.

Even so, temperatures will exceed 34 degrees in parts of the southern half. Temperatures will continue to drop on Tuesday and Wednesday, reaching more typical values for this time of year. "Additionally, we will have a more unstable atmosphere, and locally strong storms will form in the north and east of the peninsula, as well as in the Balearic Islands," Del Campo pointed out.

From Thursday, temperatures will begin to rise again, and while storms will not disappear and may still be locally strong, they will be more scattered.

Looking more closely, this Monday, in addition to the notable drop in temperatures, Aemet advises paying attention to storms, which will form in large areas of the north, also in the center of the peninsula, and may be locally strong and accompanied by hail and intense wind gusts. The heat will continue in southern areas, with highs of 34 degrees in Albacete, Ciudad Real, or Jaén, the same figure as Palma de Mallorca. Other provinces such as Seville, Córdoba, or Madrid will reach 32 degrees "and the contrast will be in the north: Burgos or Pamplona will only reach around 20 degrees," commented the Agency's spokesperson.

On Tuesday, the unstable weather will continue in the north, also on this day in the east of the peninsula, and even in parts of the Balearic Islands, there could be stormy showers. These stormy showers, especially in the north and east of the peninsula, will be locally strong, particularly in mountain areas and surroundings. Temperatures will drop in the southern half and rise in the northeast and parts of the Balearic Islands. There will be barely any tropical nights, over 20 degrees, on this day.

Zaragoza, Lleida, Málaga, Murcia, or Palma will reach 32 degrees this Tuesday, Madrid and Granada 31 degrees, and Burgos and Bilbao will remain at 21.

On Wednesday, the situation will be more or less similar, with slightly lower temperatures, in the northeastern peninsula and the Balearic Islands, and higher in the Cantabrian and Levante areas. Temperatures will exceed 30 degrees in parts of the center and south, and the warmest environment will be recorded in the interior of the Valencian community and the Murcia region, where temperatures could occasionally exceed 34 degrees.

"These two days, in general, we will talk about temperatures more typical of this time of year. On Wednesday, there could again be storms in areas of the north and east of the peninsula that could be locally strong. Thursday will be a day with more stable weather, we only expect rain in Galicia and again storms in the northeast, especially in the Pyrenees and Iberian System, although more isolated than in previous days, some of them could still be locally strong," detailed Del Campo.

As it stands, temperatures will begin to rise on Thursday, likely continuing in the following days, so that next weekend temperatures could again exceed 35 degrees in areas of the northeast, center, and south of the peninsula. All this with more stable weather but without ruling out occasional and isolated storms.

In the Canary Islands, the trade winds will strengthen these days, blowing strongly in the usual areas. "This Monday and Tuesday, there will be haze, and temperatures could exceed 30 degrees in the southern midlands of Gran Canaria. There will be cloudy intervals in the north of the larger islands, and temperatures, despite their high values in parts of the southern midlands of Gran Canaria, will begin to drop, continuing until midweek," added the Aemet spokesperson.