Spain braces for severe thunderstorms and scorching heat as 11 communities placed under alert on Sunday
Warnings for strong thunderstorms with hail and maximum temperatures nearing 40°C cover much of the northern, eastern and southern peninsula, with the worst of the storms forecast for the afternoon.
A sharp upper-level trough crossing the Iberian Peninsula will trigger widespread showers and severe thunderstorms on Sunday 28 June 2026, according to forecasts by the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET. The unstable weather has prompted alerts across 11 autonomous communities, combining the threat of large hail and damaging wind gusts with an intense heatwave in the Guadalquivir valley, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.
Thunderstorms and hail in the northeast
The most active storms are expected during the afternoon in nine areas: Álava, Navarre, La Rioja, Soria, Aragon, inland Valencia, northern Murcia, Castilla–La Mancha and the far east of Andalusia. AEMET warns these cells could become locally very strong.
The storms will be accompanied by very strong wind gusts and hail, locally large.
Orange alerts for storms are in place for Navarre and La Rioja, while yellow warnings extend to the Iberian System, inland Valencia, northern Murcia, Castilla–La Mancha and eastern Andalusia. Elsewhere, a maritime wind flow will bring low cloud and generally light rain to the Cantabrian coast, with morning mist or fog patches likely in Galicia and along parts of the Mediterranean shore.
Heatwave grips southern and eastern Spain
While storms batter the interior, a separate heat alert covers Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Guadalquivir valley. AEMET has issued orange warnings for maximum temperatures of 36–38°C across inland Catalonia, the southern plateau and the Balearics. In the Guadalquivir valley the mercury could reach 40°C. Specific city forecasts show highs of 38°C in Córdoba and Girona, 37°C in Seville and Lleida, and 36°C in Ciudad Real, Granada, Jaén and Palma.
- Córdoba
- 38 °C
- Girona
- 38 °C
- Sevilla
- 37 °C
- Lleida
- 37 °C
- Ciudad Real
- 36 °C
- Granada
- 36 °C
- Jaén
- 36 °C
- Palma
- 36 °C
Night-time will offer little relief along the Mediterranean coast and in parts of Andalusia, where temperatures are not expected to drop below 20°C – so-called tropical nights.
Cooler north and Canary Islands
In contrast, the far north will see a drop in maximum temperatures, with cities such as Burgos, Bilbao, Santander and A Coruña staying in the 25–27°C range. The Canary Islands will experience cloudy intervals and light rain on the northern slopes, while the south remains mostly clear. Winds will be generally light to moderate, westerly in the west, northerly along the Cantabrian coast and easterly in the eastern third, with a moderate trade wind bringing some strong gusts to the Canaries.
