Spain faces another day of extreme weather as the Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) keeps widespread alerts in place for high temperatures and severe storms. On Friday, twelve autonomous communities remain under official warnings. The most intense heat is forecast for Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, where orange-level alerts have been issued as temperatures are expected to soar well above seasonal norms.
Aemet expects the heatwave to be especially pronounced in Lleida and Mallorca, as well as large parts of Andalusia, Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Comunidad Valenciana, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, and La Rioja. Maximum temperatures in these areas are likely to reach 36°C to 39°C. Some locations in the Ebro valley and the Balearic archipelago could touch or exceed 40°C.
A weather system known as a 'dana' is expected to increase atmospheric instability, but it will not bring immediate relief from the heat. Instead, storm clouds capable of producing intense downpours are forecast to develop in the afternoon, particularly in central and northern regions. Aragón, Castilla y León, Galicia, and Comunidad Valenciana are under alerts for rain and thunderstorms, while Castilla-La Mancha, Madrid, Catalonia, and La Rioja face storm warnings. Spanish weather coverage of other DANA episodes has described a similar pattern: afternoon storms can develop amid atmospheric instability while very high temperatures persist elsewhere.
The provinces at greatest risk include Castellón, Valencia, Teruel, Lugo, Ourense, and León, where heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected. Storms may also affect the Sierra de Madrid, Guadalajara, the Rioja highlands, several provinces in Castilla y León, including Burgos, Palencia, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid, and Zamora, as well as Zaragoza. Aemet warns that some storms could be severe, with intense rainfall in short periods, frequent lightning, hail, and very strong wind gusts. Residents are advised to take care, especially during the afternoon and evening. A separate forecast from Tiempo.com during another DANA-related episode described storm cells capable of producing more than 30 litres of rain per square metre in an hour, showing how quickly localized downpours can intensify.
Elsewhere in Spain, skies are expected to remain mostly clear or lightly clouded for much of the day. Low clouds are forecast early in Galicia, along the Cantabrian coast, at the Strait of Gibraltar, and in the northern Canary Islands. Fog banks may also form in the northwest in the morning.
Temperatures are expected to dip slightly in many areas, though the cooling will be uneven. Central and some eastern regions should see the most noticeable relief, while the Balearic Islands and the northeast will remain intensely hot.
Over the weekend, the dana's position will continue to shape the weather. On Saturday, southerly winds are expected to push temperatures higher again in Galicia, along the Cantabrian coast, and in parts of central Spain. Highs of 36°C to 39°C are likely across much of the interior and the Balearic Islands, with isolated readings of 40°C possible in the Ebro valley, the Tajo valley, and the upper Guadalquivir.
By Sunday, the dana could shift northwest, bringing a more impressive temperature drop to Galicia, Castilla y León, and Extremadura. Relief will be patchy, but. The southern plateau, Ebro valley, inland Catalonia, Comunidad Valenciana, Murcia, eastern Andalusia, and the Balearic Islands are expected to record highs of 37°C to 39°C.
As the new week approaches, the dana's path remains uncertain. Forecast models indicate that the eastern and northeastern parts of the peninsula will likely stay warmer than average, with some inland Mediterranean areas possibly exceeding 40°C again. The western half of Spain may be milder, though rainfall is expected to remain scarce outside Galicia, the Cantabrian coast, and isolated inland areas where further storms could develop.
This latest spell of extreme heat and storms comes as Spain faces increasingly frequent and intense weather events. Recent analysis, including the study on air conditioning disparities in Barcelona, highlights how heatwaves expose vulnerabilities in infrastructure and social protection, particularly for lower-income households.
Aemet's Meteoalerta system issues warnings for adverse weather up to 72 hours ahead and updates them as hazardous conditions develop. Its yellow, orange, and red levels indicate potentially dangerous conditions for some activities, impressive danger, and extraordinary danger, respectively. A warning level reflects the specific hazard, affected area, probability, and forecast validity period, rather than a single threshold applied nationwide. These warnings describe meteorological risk; they do not order evacuations or automatically trigger mobile-phone emergency alerts. Aemet updates its forecasts regularly, so the stated location and validity times matter when tracking local conditions.
