Just as we thought autumn might be upon us the weather once again tells us it has other ideas, with Aemet issuing orange warnings as the country is set to reach an unusually hot spell for September. AEMET has extended its orange warning through Friday, with up to 42C expected in the capital and the Vega and Alto Guadalquivir areas. 

The worst of the heat will be felt in inland southern Spain where temperatures will reach between to 42C – 43C while other parts of the country are also expected to see temperatures well above normal.

Córdoba remains under orange warning

Friday will be slightly cooler than Thursday in Córdoba, when temperatures are forecast to reach 43C, but the drop will offer little relief. The rest of Córdoba province will remain under a yellow warning for high temperatures.

AEMET expects the heat to continue beyond Friday, with temperatures in the capital remaining above 40C into the beginning of next week. In neighbouring Sevilla, the Campiña Sevillana will also be under an orange warning on Friday. The maximum is expected to reach 41C between 1pm and 9pm. 

40C temperatures spread across Spain

Friday is expected to bring temperatures of 40C or higher to a much wider area than the zones under the highest warning level. Badajoz, Cáceres, Córdoba, Sevilla, Granada, Jaén, Zaragoza, Lleida, Logroño and Toledo are among the cities where temperatures are expected to approach or exceed 40C. 

AEMET’s wider forecast shows temperatures of more than 34C across large parts of the peninsula, while Mallorca could reach above 35C.  The agency’s forecast also points to very warm nights in parts of southern Spain, the Mediterranean coast, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, with minimum temperatures remaining around 25C in some locations. 

Heat continues into the weekend

The current episode is being driven by a very warm air mass affecting the peninsula and Balearic Islands. Spain’s Civil Protection authorities, using AEMET forecasts, said the episode was expected to continue at least until Friday, with 40C to 42C possible in valleys across the southern half of the country.  The high temperatures are also expected to push the fire danger back towards extreme levels, with dry afternoon storms possible in some areas. 

Although Friday marks the peak or near-peak of the current episode in many areas, the heat will not disappear immediately. AEMET forecasts temperatures remaining unusually high into the weekend, although some parts of the country are expected to begin seeing a gradual fall. 

The heat arrives only days after the start of meteorological autumn on September 1. Thursday is expected to be hotter in several areas, with 43C forecast in Córdoba and Sevilla, but Friday will bring little relief. Further north, conditions will be more moderate, with some Atlantic coastal areas remaining in the mid-20s.  The contrast will be especially noticeable in northern coastal areas, where temperatures will stay well below the levels forecast inland. 

If you have bought a natural weight-loss aid in Spain in recent months, it could be worth checking what you have been taking. Twenty-two slimming products have been found to contain an undeclared drug linked to serious cardiovascular problems. The products contain sibutramine, an appetite-suppressing drug previously used in prescription medicines for obesity.

Its use in the European Union was suspended because of serious cardiovascular side effects, yet the substance was not listed on the products’ labels.  Spain’s medicines regulator, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS), has ordered the sale of all 22 products to be prohibited and every example removed from the market. 

Check your slimming products

The affected weight loss products are the following:

• Slim U,
• Slim U Pro
• P57 Hoodia
• Bikini Siluet Perfect
• Slim 24
• 14 Día
• Fatzorb
• AB Slim
• Get Lean
• Slimina
• Burn and Slim
• Body Slim and Black Panther.

The list also includes Aphrodite Thermoslim Coffe, Aphrodite Plus, Aphrodite LipoDetox, Aphrodite Green Plus, Aphrodite Forte Plus, Aphrodite Forte, Li Da Ultra, Pineapple Slimming Peptide and Pezo Mega.  Laboratory tests carried out by the AEMPS Official Laboratory for Medicines Control found sibutramine in all 22 products. The products were presented as natural slimming products, but the ingredient responsible for the health concerns was not declared on their packaging.

The drug was hidden inside

Sibutramine suppresses appetite and produces a feeling of fullness, while also increasing energy expenditure. It can also increase heart rate and blood pressure. AEMPS says cases of arrhythmias, ischaemic heart disease and serious cerebrovascular events have been recorded in connection with its use. Other reported adverse effects include dry mouth, headaches, insomnia and constipation.  The substance can also interact with a number of other medicines.

Sibutramine was previously used in prescription medicines for the treatment of obesity. Its marketing in the European Union was suspended after its use was associated with serious cardiovascular adverse effects.  That means someone buying one of these products as a slimming supplement could have been taking an active drug without knowing it was there.

Seven contain another substance

Seven of the products contain a second undeclared ingredient: phenolphthalein, they are Fatzorb, AB Slim, Get Lean, Slimina, Burn and Slim, Body Slim and Black Panther. Phenolphthalein is a stimulant laxative. It increases intestinal movement and reduces the absorption of water and electrolytes.

AEMPS warns that excessive exposure can lead to loss of fluids and electrolytes, intestinal protein loss, low calcium levels and malabsorption caused by excessive intestinal activity.  The presence of phenolphthalein also means these seven products legally have the status of medicines, despite never having been assessed or authorised by AEMPS, neither of the two substances was declared on the products’ labels.

How the products were found

The case came to the attention of the authorities through the Consumer Affairs, Environment and Doping Section of the General Commissariat of Judicial Police, as part of Operation Triki.

The products were subsequently analysed by the AEMPS laboratory, which confirmed their composition. The agency has classified the products as illegal medicines and ordered their sale to be prohibited and all examples withdrawn from the market. 

What to do if you have one

If you have bought or are taking any of the products listed above, check the name against the AEMPS warning and do not continue taking them. Anyone who is concerned about having taken one of the products should speak to a healthcare professional, particularly if they have experienced symptoms listed above or are taking other medicines along with them.

AEMPS published the withdrawal notice on Wednesday, September 2, with images of all 22 products to help consumers identify them

Imagine having enough money coming into your bank account to pay the rent, but still being unable to find a landlord willing to rent you a home. That is the increasingly frustrating reality for renters across Spain, where soaring demand, limited supply and tougher financial checks are making it harder to get through the front door. For some people, having enough money for the monthly rent is no longer enough.

Juan José Jiménez Montoro and Isabel Otero Martínez have now found themselves on the most extreme end of that problem, sleeping in their car in Arteixo, Galicia, after their 12-year tenancy ended. “Tonight we sleep in the car again, we didn’t receive any rental offer,” Juan José explains

Rental reality

According to La Voz de Galicia, the couple currently receive €2,345 a month between them, but say they have been unable to secure another property because they cannot provide the permanent employment contracts and payslips being demanded by landlords and agencies. Their experience exposes a growing problem in Spain’s rental market: there may be homes available, and there may be people able to pay, but getting those two things together is becoming increasingly difficult.

For someone searching for a home in Spain, seeing an affordable property advertised does not necessarily mean it is within reach. Landlords can request proof of income and financial stability, while many use rental-payment insurance to protect themselves against unpaid rent.

Insurers assess prospective tenants before providing cover, with employment status, income and other financial circumstances among the factors that can affect eligibility. That creates an obvious obstacle for people whose income comes from unemployment benefits, pensions, temporary work or other sources that may be considered less secure than a permanent salary. It is precisely the problem facing Juan José and Isabel.

Spain has too few homes for the people looking

Juan José receives €1,125 a month in unemployment benefit and Isabel receives a €1,220 widow’s pension. On paper, their combined income gives them money to put towards rent. But without permanent employment, they say they have struggled to satisfy the requirements attached to available properties. And they are far from the only renters facing a market where competition is increasingly fierce.

Spain’s housing shortage has become one of the country’s most pressing economic and social problems. The government’s new State Housing Plan for 2026-2030 acknowledges the heavy burden housing costs place on households. According to the plan, 26.8 per cent of Spanish households renting at market prices were spending more than 40 per cent of their income on rent in 2025, compared with around 19 per cent across the European Union.  At the same time, the supply of long-term rental properties remains under pressure.

The strongest applicants win

Recent analysis based on Idealista data found that rental prices in Spain had risen by more than 30 per cent over the three years following the introduction of the 2023 Housing Law, while rental supply fell by around 30 per cent. The average property advertised for rent was receiving 41 enquiries, more than twice the level recorded in 2023. That imbalance changes the position of the renter.

When dozens of people are competing for the same property, a landlord can choose the applicant with the strongest employment history, highest income or most straightforward financial profile. Someone who can comfortably afford the advertised rent can still lose out to another applicant considered less risky.

The squeeze is affecting ordinary households

The pressure is not limited to people on very low incomes. Young workers trying to leave the family home, families looking for larger properties, pensioners, self-employed workers and people whose employment has become unstable can all find themselves competing in the same market. Spain’s new housing plan notes that wages have failed to keep pace with housing costs and that difficulties accessing rental or owned accommodation are contributing to more severe forms of housing exclusion, including homelessness. 

In major cities and other high-demand areas, the choice can become particularly stark: accept a property that is smaller, more expensive or further away, or continue searching while someone else takes it. The shortage of suitable homes also helps explain why the middle of the market can feel particularly difficult. In Barcelona, for example, recent market analysis found that supply was increasingly concentrated in very small flats and larger, higher-priced properties, while the medium-sized homes most renters want were disappearing. 

The window is closing

Juan José and Isabel are now racing against another problem: their income is about to fall. Isabel’s widow’s pension is due to drop from €1,220 to €705 in November, while Juan José’s unemployment benefit is expected to end in December, after which he anticipates receiving a subsidy of around €500.

They are therefore trying to find a home while they still have their higher combined income, instead, they are sleeping in their car. They have applied for social housing and sought help from the Concello de Arteixo, but are still waiting for a permanent solution. Their daughter has also had to stay elsewhere temporarily.

Just a place to live

Isabel has said she is not looking for a free home. She wants somewhere modest that the couple can afford. “I don’t want anything for free,” she said. “A ground-floor flat, a bed, I don’t ask for anything else.” Their circumstances may be  severe, but the barrier they have encountered is increasingly familiar to renters around Spain. In Malaga, for example, people have resorted to living in camper vans due to being unable to meet rental prices

The challenge is no longer simply finding a property with a rent you can afford. It is finding one where your income, employment status and financial circumstances are acceptable to the person deciding who gets to live there. For people who fail that test, the search for a home can continue long after they have run out of places to look.