Spain sets new temperature records

Parts of Spain have set record temperatures during a heatwave.

San Sebastian on Spain’s northern coast witnessed temperatures of 42C (107F) on Thursday – the hottest temperature there since records began in 1955, the national weather agency said.

The city of Palma, on Spain’s Mediterranean island of Mallorca, set a local record of 40.6C (105F) on Tuesday.

The Spanish weather agency, Aemet, said tropical nights – when temperatures do not fall below 20C (68F) – were also frequent in many parts of Spain in July.

“Climate change is increasing the frequency of heatwaves,” it said, adding that the annual number of days in heatwave conditions has doubled since the 1980s.