Portugal and Spain swelter amid near-record heat
Residents and tourists in Portugal and Spain stayed in the shade or flocked to the beach as southern Europe sweltered in a heatwave that has produced near-record temperatures and threatens to stick around for days.
The extremely high temperatures, caused by an influx of hot air from Africa, were also carrying loads of dust from the Sahara Desert.
Portugal issued red health alerts for extreme heat for more than half the country, with thermometers approaching 46C. The country’s highest recorded temperature was 47.4C in 2003.
Spain also issued warnings of extreme heat for its southern areas, with temperatures expected to reach 45C in the cities of Seville, Huelva, Badajoz and Cordoba. Spain’s all-time record of 46.9C was set in Cordoba in July 2017.
In Evora, Portugal, only a few foreign tourists dared to venture out. “Oh it’s terrible,” said tourist Paul Snell. “We’re from Canada and never felt heat like this before. We’re just drenched with water. Yeah, I need to hydrate constantly.”
Francisca Serrano, a local souvenir seller, added “We are used to high temperatures, but it seems the air doesn’t flow and that is making it difficult to breathe.”
In Barcelona, Spaniards scurried to the beach with families and friends, along with swarms of sweating tourists.