Malaga province faces hottest week so far this summer with temperatures exceeding 40C

Weather

The warm terral wind will send temperatures in Malaga city and the Guadalhorce Valley soaring, with nighttime minimum values above 24C every day

Ignacio Lillo

The hot, dry winds, the haze and the strong sunshine typical of summer threaten to raise the thermometers to levels rarely seen in the Costa del Sol, which usually benefits from a microclimate that allows it to boast relatively mild values even in the most intense heatwaves in the rest of the country.

This time, neither the sea breezes nor the mountain ranges that usually act as a barrier will allow Malaga to escape maximum temperatures that will exceed 40C in many parts of the province.

In Malaga city, the entire week is going to be challenging, with maximum temperatures of 36-37C and a minimum of 24C every day. The worst is expected on Thursday and Friday, when the warm westerly winds will push temperatures above 26C at night.

Although the Aemet state meteorological agency has not yet confirmed the forecast, the European model is predicting maximum temperatures above 40C on Thursday in the Malaga districts most exposed to the terral wind, as well as in the Guadalhorce Valley area, especially in municipalities such as Álora and Coín.

There will be few changes on Friday. On Saturday, the heat will ease, with a significant drop in temperatures in the interior.

For now, until Wednesday, almost the entire province will be under yellow (slight risk) and amber (moderate) alerts for maximum temperatures of at least 37C, although "the interior could reach 40C".

SUR's weather expert José Luis Escudero has warned that temperatures could reach up to 43C in the Guadalhorce Valley and up to 41C in parts of Malaga city between Thursday and Friday.

This would trigger the first red alert of the summer season in the province, requiring heightened vigilance during outdoor activities and increased risk of forest fires.

As Escudero pointed out, Álora had already recorded five consecutive days with temperatures above 41C as of Monday. "Everything indicates that this situation will continue for a few more days. If confirmed, it will be a record, although we'll have to wait until the end of the week to verify it," he said.

It's unusual for temperatures to reach 40C in the city. Normally, this might happen for a maximum of one or two days in July, although Escudero recalled that, on occasion, there have been up to four days, as it happened in 2023. That year also set the all-time records for maximum temperature (44.2C, tied with 1978) and minimum temperature (31.6C).

"Milder" heatwave

As is usually the case, interior areas don't experience such high temperatures when the warm westerly winds hit Malaga. That's why experts are already referring to this third heatwave as a "mild" version in Andalucía.

That, however, is a bit of a stretch, since temperatures are still expected to reach 42C in Cordoba and 40C in Seville, especially between Wednesday and Thursday.

"In combination with the sunshine typical of this time of year and the generalised subsidence, a progressive rise in temperatures is expected, reaching very high values especially in the southeastern third, the Guadalquivir and Ebro valleys, the northeast depressions, the Pyrenean valleys and the interior of Mallorca," Aemet's forecast says.

Today's weather forecast for Malaga province