The heat wave is easing, but thermometers will continue to reach 40 degrees in large areas.

Madrid, July 3 (EFE).- Although Thursday could be the last day on which the criteria for "duration, extent, and intensity to strictly consider a heat wave" are met, temperatures will remain very high in much of the country, with values ​​ranging between 36 and 40 degrees.

According to Aemet spokesperson Rubén Del Campo, the northern peninsula will experience some thermal relief in the coming days, with cooler temperatures in the Cantabrian Sea and milder temperatures in the rest of the northern half.

However, in the rest of the country, "although the extreme peaks of previous days are not repeated," temperatures will continue to exceed 36 to 38 degrees, and even occasionally reach 40 degrees in southern and inland areas.

Thursday and Friday

The intense heat continues today across much of the peninsula, with orange warnings (significant danger) in Andalusia, Extremadura, the Community of Madrid, and both Castillas. Thunderstorms are also expected to develop, which in areas of the north and east could be locally strong and could bring hail.

Few temperature variations are expected on Thursday and Friday, although there will be slight increases in the Cantabrian Sea and slight decreases in some Mediterranean areas of the western half of the peninsula.

Even so, temperatures will remain very high in much of the country. They will exceed 36 degrees in large areas of the interior, and 38 degrees in the Ebro valleys, the central region, and the southern half. In the Tagus, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir valleys, temperatures could reach or exceed 40°C.

For example, temperatures will reach 22 degrees in A Coruña and 23 degrees in Santander; Vitoria will reach 31 degrees, Ourense 35 degrees, Madrid 38 degrees, and Córdoba and Toledo 40 degrees.

Tropical nights (minimums above 20 degrees Celsius) will continue in parts of the Mediterranean, the Balearic Islands, the northeast, central, and southern parts of the Iberian Peninsula, with some torrid nights (minimums above 25 degrees Celsius), especially in towns in the Mediterranean and central regions. Cities such as Toledo, Alicante, and Madrid will not see temperatures drop below 24-25 degrees Celsius on Friday.

In addition, during the afternoons of both days, daytime clouds will form, leading to locally strong storms in areas of the north and east of the peninsula, especially in mountainous environments, with the possibility of hail.

Weekend: slight thermal relief and new storms

Looking ahead to the weekend, temperatures are expected to drop. They will drop especially in the northern half on Saturday, and slightly less so in parts of the south. This drop will continue in the northeast on Sunday, while the rest of the country will see little change.

Maximum temperatures will range between 22 and 25 degrees in the Cantabrian Sea, between 32 and 34 degrees in parts of Castile and León, around 35 degrees in the northeast of the peninsula and the Balearic Islands, and in the center and south of the peninsula, intense heat will persist, with maximum temperatures between 36 and 38 degrees and occasionally over 40 degrees, again, in the valleys of the Tagus, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir.

During the weekend nights, temperatures will ease further inland in the northern half, with lows below 18-20 degrees Celsius. However, tropical nights will continue in the center, south, and along the Mediterranean coast, with some torrid temperatures in parts of the southeast.

As in previous days, storms will return to the north and east of the Iberian Peninsula, especially in mountainous areas such as the Pyrenees, the Iberian System, and nearby areas, where they could be locally intense.