Temperatures in parts of Spain up to 16C higher than normal

​​​​​​​Temperatures in some parts of Spain are up to 16C higher than normal for this time of year.

Locals in Bilbao took steps to protect themselves from the sun yesterday. Pic: Reuters

People in Bilbao, northwestern Spain, usually spend April facing rain showers but instead this year swapped umbrellas for ice creams.

Elsewhere in Spain over the weekend, temperatures tipped 30C at 65 stations across Aemet’s network – Spain’s state forecasting agency – with 33C reached in the Pyrenees, north of Castilla y Leon, south of Galicia and the Canary Islands.

Spain’s national weather agency said the temperatures were akin to what the country usually gets during the summer – not April. Pic: Reuters

It was a similar story in Portugal, where temperatures near Lisbon reached as high as 29C.

Aemet said in a post on social media: “Saturday was once again a very warm day for the time: temperatures exceeded 30C in more than 65 stations in our network, and even 33C in points of the Pyrenees, north of Castilla y León, south of Galicia and the Canary Islands.

Weather in Bilbao, Spain, is far hotter than usual for this time of year. Pic: Reuters

“These were maximum temperatures, in much of Spain, that were among the 5% of the warmest recorded for these dates.

“This means that they were between 7 and 16C above normal.”

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Temperatures more commonly experienced in the summer months were being recorded in April, Aemet added.

However, elsewhere in the Mediterranean, temperatures remained high as Morocco experienced weather as hot as 33C.

In Italy and Algeria temperatures pushed towards the mid-20s, but temperatures across the Iberian Peninsula are expected to cool off from Monday.