UK holidaymakers receive big warning against Spain for summer travel

UK holidaymakers have received a warning about Spain's extremely hot conditions amid the ongoing summer travel period.

Spain is one of the most popular destinations among travellers from the UK, especially during the summertime. Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has predicted a "high probability" that the country will experience severe temperatures this summer.

Severe summer in Spain

The eastern side of Spain and the archipelagos are anticipated to be some of the hottest parts of the country, with early forecasts indicating temperatures to fly past 35°C.

Last summer, Spain's heatwaves remained in force for 41 days, nearly half the summer. Rubén Del Campo, a spokesperson for the AEMET weather agency, said the latest data suggested a continuation of the extremely high temperatures the country suffered last year, which turned out to be the hottest year ever in Spain. Last year's freak heatwave saw Spain's temperatures rise to as high as 40°C.

Meanwhile, the heat has already begun to build up in Spain, with the country experiencing the hottest ever spring season this year since AEMET began meteorological record-keeping in 1961. The average temperature was nearly 2 degrees Celsius higher than in previous years. In southern Spain, the highest temperature in April once reached 38.8°C.

Before this, Spain's hottest spring year was 1997, and this year's average spring temperature was 0.3 degrees Celsius higher than the 1997 spring.

"We can say that [summer] will be among the hottest in recent decades. We are already getting used to records, March and April was very warm, and May was normal. This year is the second warmest spring in the historical series. Surface water temperatures recorded in 2022 were the highest since at least 1940," Del Campo said in an interview.

Spain is currently experiencing an ongoing drought that is affecting agricultural production. It is understood that the drought not only increased the price of olive oil, but could also lead to a reduction in the production of Iberian ham.

UK gearing up for extreme heat wave

Nevertheless, Spain could still be a better option, for this weekend at least, as the UK is gearing up for an extreme heat wave that would make the country hotter than its European neighbours.

The Met Office has issued the UK's first heat alert of the year as parts of the country are set to be hotter than Ibiza this weekend. A yellow heat alert was issued for London, the east and west Midlands, and the east, south-east and south-west as the temperatures are likely to reach a sweltering 30C in some parts of England.

Despite the hot weather forecast, the Met Office has also issued a warning against a thunderstorm for Saturday from 2 pm to 9 pm around cities including Manchester, Cardiff, and London. The warning from the Met Office has also claimed there is a "small chance" that homes and businesses could be flooded as a result of heavy rain.

Warning against a trip to New York

The UK government is also issuing a travel warning for tourists heading to the United States of America (USA) as New York continues to be affected by a hazardous orange haze caused by Canada's wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Canada has seen over 400 wildfires that have left nearly 20,000 people displaced in the country. The smog has blanketed the US and Canada, affecting millions of people as air pollution has reached record levels.

It is understandable if travellers from the UK choose to cancel their trips, but it is understood that in this case, they are unlikely to receive a full refund. Only if it's the travel agency or airline which cancels the holiday, then one can get their full money back.