European tourist hotspots face record-breaking weather and 48C heatwave in days

European tourist hotspots face record-breaking weather and 48C heatwave in days A major heatwave looks set to continue in Europe next week as Spain could see its hottest ever temperature and tourists in one holiday hotspot face scorching conditions Tourists heading to European holiday hotspots in the coming days could face a record-breaking heatwave on the continent. Temperatures have already surged into the mid-40s in parts of Spain, France and Italy this year. And the UK itself hasn’t offered any reprieve from the heat, with the country currently in its third heatwave of 2026. The GFS weather model suggests temperatures in Europe could surge well above the average for this time of year again next week. For Thursday, the data shows potential highs of 44C in southern parts of Spain, 42C in Catalonia, and 44C in Sicily. Friday is expected to be even warmer, and could bring never-before-seen temperatures to the Iberian peninsula. The data shows potential highs of 48C in Andalusia in southern Spain - which would be an all-time record temperature for the country. Spain's highest recorded temperature ever is 47.6C, measured in La Rambla, Córdoba Province, in August 2021. Seville - a popular tourist destination for Brits - could reach 46C or 47C next week, according to the GFS model. This follows devastating wildfires which ripped through southern parts of Spain last week and claimed the lives of 13 people. Officials confirmed seven British nationals were among those killed. Several weather warnings have already been issued in Spain this week too. In Andalusia, there has been an orange alert for Almería and a yellow alert for Granada, Cordoba, Jaén and Malaga. In the region of Aragon in the north-east, Zaragoza is under an orange alert due to high temperatures, while Teruel and Huesca are under a yellow alert. The Balearic Islands have also been under warnings, as has Murcia in the south-east. Experts have even warned that it won’t be too long before we see temperatures on the continent hit 50C. Professor Bill McGuire, Emeritus Professor of Geophysical & Climate Hazards at UCL, said previously: “It would be no surprise if 50C was exceeded, either later this summer or next year, when the heating impact of the unprecedented El Niño building in the Pacific will be at its greatest.”