Sawt Falasteen - Spain hit by summer-strength heat in April

Since Monday, Spain has been enveloped by a mass of warm, dry air from North Africa that has driven up temperatures to "levels normally seen in summer and exceptionally high for this time of year," said Spain's state weather agency AEMET.

"It's highly likely (the heatwave) will peak on Thursday and Friday," it added, acknowledging many temperature records had already been beaten on Wednesday.

Scorching temperatures have prompted warnings about the "high risk" of wildfires in a nation that has already seen fire ravage 54,000 hectares (133,400 acres) of land so far this year, compared with 17,000 hectares in the same period last year.

Experts say parts of Spain are the driest in a thousand years, with a prolonged drought depleting reservoirs to half of their normal capacity, figures show.

On Thursday, the mercury was expected to rise above 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) in most of the southern Andalusia region, hitting 37C in the Guadalquivir valley, it said after lowering earlier predictions of 40C.

On Wednesday, at least three areas around Seville and Huelva recorded temperatures of 37C.

"It's really hot, I keep looking for the shade and for water," Juan Benito, a 33-year-old barman, told AFP in Seville, where many people could be seen fanning themselves to try to keep cool.

- Climate change -

This could be one of the hottest months of April in Spain since records started, said Ruben del Campo, spokesman for Spain's national weather office AEMET.

"Due to its intensity and early character, this episode fits with what we are observing climate change causes," he added.

Spain's health ministry has recommended that the country's regions activate their heat plans -- which outline measures to protect people from scorching temperatures.

Normally the heat plans start on June 1 but the ministry said this year they could come into effect as early as May 15, depending on the situation in each region.

The regional government of Madrid said metro trains in the Spanish capital would pass more frequently than usual to prevent long waits on platforms and crowding.

It is also considering opening some public swimming pools earlier in the year to help people cool off.

The health ministry warned people to drink lots of water, moderate their consumption of alcohol and caffeine, and to keep an eye on vulnerable members of the community such as children and the elderly.

- Farmland 'suffocating' -

The heatwave follows an abnormally warm and dry spring, spelling catastrophe for the agriculture sector in Spain, which is the world's biggest exporter of olive oil and a key source of Europe's fruit and vegetables.

The situation is so bad that some farmers have opted not to plant crops, with the COAG farmers' union warning that 60 percent of farmland was "suffocating" from lack of rainfall.

Spain on Tuesday urged Brussels to activate the bloc's agriculture crisis reserve to help farmers cope with the exceptional drought, while also announcing a series of tax breaks.

Last year, Spain experienced its hottest year since began, with UN figures suggesting nearly 75 percent of its land is susceptible to desertification due to climate change.

The number of days with summer temperatures in Spain has increased from 90 to 145 between 1971 and 2022, according to a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia published Tuesday.

Portugal was also feeling the heat with temperatures "10-15 degrees Celsius higher than normal" that could hit 37C on Thursday, the weather institute said, a day after the mercury touched 35.4C in the south.

B.AbuZeid--SF-PST