IRISH holidaymakers heading to Spain are being warned of sizzling temperatures after the country was hit by an earthquake and thunderstorms.
A number of holiday hotspots in Spain are expecting severely high temperatures of 40C following the vicious storm.
Severe storm and hail warnings were issued in Spain on Saturday[/caption]
AEMET activated weather warnings for 25 provinces, eight of which are orange[/caption]
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, has warnings in place for a number of popular holiday spots including Seville, Mallorca, Malaga, Madrid and Valencia.
A “severe high-temperature warning” has been issued for Seville and Mallorca, where temperatures reach a boiling 40C.
And Malaga, Madrid and Valencia are also “at risk” with temperatures sizzling to up 36C today.
A maximum temperature warning has also been issued for Gran Canaria, where temperatures could reach 36C in some areas.
All alerts will kick in between 12pm and 1pm later today and remain in place until later this evening.
AEMET said: “Significantly high maximum temperatures will be expected in the southern half of the peninsula, as well as in parts of the Canary Islands, where significant increases are expected.”
The Spanish weather agency added: “Maximum temperatures will drop in Navarre, La Rioja, eastern Castile and León, and parts of Aragon, with increases predominating elsewhere, which will be notable in inland areas of the Canary Islands.
“Temperatures will exceed 35C in most inland areas of the southern half of the peninsula and in parts of the Canary Islands, even exceeding 40C on the Guadalquivir River.
“Minimum temperatures will rise in the Canary Islands and the southern half of the Atlantic, with decreases in the north-central part of the peninsula and little change elsewhere.
“They will not drop below 20C-22C in the Mediterranean, the lower Ebro River, and large areas of the southern half of the peninsula.”
Weather chiefs at meteoalarm said: “Be aware, keep up to date with the latest weather forecast.
“Moderate damages to people and properties may occur, especially to those vulnerable or in exposed areas. Maximum temperature of 36C.”
HORROR EARTHQUAKE
It comes after a 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck the country yesterday.
The earthquake was felt in hundreds of towns and villages across seven provinces in Andalucia and the country’s Levante region.
The earthquake was felt in hundreds of towns and villages across seven provinces in Andalucia and the country’s Levante region.
And video footage taken by a local who felt the tremors showed a ceiling lightshade rocking back and forth in an apartment.
The effects of the earthquake on land were lessened by the fact it struck at a depth of around a mile and a half below sea level some 20 miles off the town of Nijar in Almeria.
It was more powerful than the catastrophic quake in Lorca in Murcia in 2011 which killed nine people but where the destruction was greater because it hit on land nearer the earth’s surface.
Initial reports said the earthquake had been felt in around 300 places in seven provinces, and most intensely in 17 municipalities in Almeria as well as in parts of North Africa.
Severe storm and hail warnings were issued in Spain on Saturday as 100mm of rain fell in just one hour at a holiday hotspot.
Locals and tourists braced for chaos after the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, activated weather warnings for 25 provinces, eight of which are orange.
AEMET forecasted orange-level warnings on Saturday for severe storms in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.
HUGE DAMAGES
These regions have been battered by extreme rainfall and potential flash floods which could disrupt holidays and cause huge damages to neighbourhoods.
The DANA storm has caused the weather agency to activate red, orange and yellow warnings across dozens of Spanish regions.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs warned tourists to keep up to date with the weather forecast.
It said: “Spain can at times experience extreme weather conditions, including flooding, which can adversely affect travel plans.
“You can monitor information and alerts, including severe weather warnings, on the website of the Spanish Meteorological Agency, AEMET.
“Citizens are advised to check the latest weather information before they travel and to follow the advice of the local authorities.“
A number of holiday hotspots in Spain are expecting severely high temperatures of 40C following the vicious storm[/caption]
