A sweeping weather shift will end Spain's summer heat wave from Thursday, bringing plunging temperatures, heavy rain and violent storms that could persist into next week, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has warned.
Thirteen autonomous communities remain on heat alert through Wednesday, with eight at orange level as Ourense tops forecasts at 42°C. But a cold polar air mass and an extensive Atlantic trough will drive a marked temperature decline from Thursday, ending the "Canícula" peak-heat period. Summer 2026 ran 2.9°C above the 1991–2020 average, AEMET data show.
Widespread rain is forecast across the northern third and strong thunderstorms capable of cloudbursts and damaging gusts in the southeastern Peninsula and Balearic Islands. Flooding risk is highest in the Pyrenees. Locally intense, persistent precipitation may continue through Monday in the far north, though exact accumulations remain uncertain, AEMET said.