Heatwave pushes Spanish temperatures to 44C as tourism hubs burn
A record-breaking third heatwave is pushing temperatures towards 44C in Spain, threatening peak summer tourism revenues after extreme weather caused 14,000 excess deaths across Europe last month.
Spain is bracing for temperatures of up to 44C this week as a severe heatwave grips southern Europe, sparking devastating wildfires in major tourist destinations. The national meteorological agency AEMET has issued "extraordinary danger" warnings for Thursday, with popular coastal hubs like Malaga, Valencia and Alicante expected to reach 42C. This marks the country's third brutal heatwave of an already record-breaking summer.
The extreme weather is striking directly at the heart of Europe’s peak holiday season, threatening a critical economic period for the region. In southwestern France, wildfires near Bordeaux have forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people, while blazes have also swept through popular Italian islands like Sicily and Sardinia. For local businesses that rely heavily on the summer months to drive annual revenues, these mass evacuations and travel disruptions pose a severe financial risk.
Beyond the immediate physical damage, the heat is exacting a heavy toll on public health infrastructure. France recorded 5,764 excess deaths between June 17 and July 2, representing a 36 per cent spike in mortality, according to health authority data reported by BFMTV. Across the continent, the EuroMOMO mortality monitoring hub attributes 14,000 excess deaths to the June heatwaves alone.
In central Spain, firefighters are battling a massive wildfire near Guadalajara that has burned over 32,000 hectares, making it one of the country's largest blazes on record. The fire has prompted the evacuation of 34 villages, following a separate blaze in southern Spain that killed 13 people less than two weeks ago. Now, AEMET warns that almost the entirety of Spain faces "extreme" wildfire risk heading into Friday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the ravaged Guadalajara region on Wednesday, framing the destruction as an economic and existential threat. "Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities," Sánchez said in the village of Tamajón. "This isn't politics. It is science, it's about facts."
