In Spain, which was hit by a heatwave in mid-January, temperatures of around 30°C were recorded, according to the local meteorological service, reported the newspaper "Vjesti".
"In Valencia today the temperature was 29.5°C and in Málaga 27.8°C," the service said, adding that around 400 weather stations had recorded temperatures above 20°C.
"Such a temperature is typical for mid or late June, i.e. in summer," said a spokesman for the meteorological service.
According to David Correll, a researcher at the University of Valencia, the mid-winter heatwave affecting south-eastern Spain is due to the presence of a strong anticyclone over the Mediterranean.
The country has already seen unusually high temperatures in December, with the maximum temperature in Málaga being 29.9°C, a national record for the month of December.
These heatwaves are occurring in the context of a severe drought, particularly in Andalusia and Catalonia in the east of the country, where authorities have introduced restrictive measures on water consumption after three years of little rain.
In Catalonia, in mid-January, the level of reservoirs storing rainwater for use during the dry months dropped to 17% of their capacity. If it drops below 16%, which seems inevitable, the authorities will have no choice but to declare a state of emergency, with additional reservoirs being used.
