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. 

You could be breeding potentially dangerous mosquitoes in your own garden without even realising it.

A dog’s water bowl, a child’s toy, a forgotten bucket or even a flowerpot containing a tiny amount of stagnant water can provide exactly what the Asian Tiger mosquito needs to reproduce.

The Asian Tiger mosquito is smaller than most mosquitoes and has a very distinctive white band across its back. Officially known as Aedes albopictus, it has for some years been setting up home in our international community on the Costa del Sol.

This is not good as a bite from one of these mosquitoes can leave more than a red bump and itchy skin. Originally from Southeast Asia, the females can potentially transmit serious diseases including dengue, Zika and Chikungunya.

The problem is taken seriously. In 2026 the Junta de Andalucía has strengthened its surveillance of the Asian Tiger mosquito, including monitoring for these diseases.

The first and most important rule is to ensure there is no still or stagnant water available for them to lay their eggs.

This includes baby pools, flowerpots, birdbaths, dog water bowls, bottles, buckets, vases, toys, rubbish bins and even tyres.  Swimming pools, particularly half-empty pools, wells, cisterns and other water containers should be covered and drains and gutters checked.

Dog water bowls should be changed and cleaned frequently and children’s toys checked to keep everything fresh or dry.

Most bites will simply be another itchy red bump, but if you develop headaches, fever, abnormal swelling or nausea, please do visit a doctor.

The Government is taking this issue seriously; so should we.  Keeping stagnant water to a minimum is something we can all do to help keep this potentially dangerous invader at bay.

Five visitors spent a mere 17 minutes inside one of the restricted corners of Granada’s Alhambra, but that was long enough for one of them to bring down a protected and historical archaeological pillar while apparently filming a parkour stunt. Police are now trying to work out who they were. 

CCTV cameras captured the group’s entire visit

Security cameras at the Alhambra recorded five people entering through the Puerta de la Justicia (Gate of Justice) at 4.09pm on Friday August 28, according to the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, the body that manages the site. They made their way to the Casa del Mufti, a non-public archaeological area next to the Palacio de Carlos V (Palace of Charles V) that holds protected remains not normally open to visitors.

One jump was enough to destroy a protected pillar 

Footage reviewed by Alhambra staff appears to show the group setting up a camera to film themselves performing jumps in the restricted zone, followed by one of them knocking down an archaeological pillar in the process, the Patronato said. 

The whole visit lasted just 17 minutes, while cameras showed the group leaving through the Puerta de los Carros (Gate of the Carts) and the Torre de las Cabezas (Tower of the Heads) at around 4.26pm, apparently without realising, or without stopping to report, what they had left behind.

Visitors alerted staff before the group could slip away unnoticed

Other people touring the Alhambra that afternoon noticed what was happening and told site staff, who confirmed the damage once the group had already gone. By the time security reviewed the CCTV footage in full, the five had left the grounds and had not been identified. No description of the individuals has been made public. 

Alhambra reports €12,000 in damage to the National Police 

The Patronato filed a formal complaint with the National Police on Monday August 31, handing over the security footage as evidence. Architects working for the Alhambra put the cost of repairing the pillar at around €12,000, based on an initial assessment of the archaeological damage. The figure could change once a full restoration plan is drawn up.

The National Police have opened an investigation, but no arrests have been made and the five have not yet been identified.

Millions visit the Alhambra each year, but this corner was off-limits

The Alhambra was Andalucía’s most-visited monument in 2025, drawing close to 2.7 million tourists, and remains one of the most recognisable sites in Spain. The Casa del Mufti, however, sits outside the areas open to paying visitors, and its archaeological remains are protected under Spanish heritage law. The Alhambra, along with the neighbouring Generalife gardens, has held UNESCO World Heritage status since 1984.