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Spain is melting amid record-breakingly high temperatures.
Thermometers spiked at 46 degrees Celsius in El Granado, Huelva, a southern Spanish city on the border with Portugal. That's a new record for June if confirmed by Spain's meteorological agency AEMET – which has already said the country is on course for its hottest June since records began.
Weather warnings flashed orange and red across the country over the weekend with places like northwestern Galicia reaching up to 40 degrees – a very abnormal heat for this time of year. Southern cities like Seville baked in 43 degrees at their peak.
At Madrid Río, an urban park in the capital Madrid, the city hall has installed water fountains and jets where people can cool off.
"It's too hot," one local said, the temperature still up around 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday evening.
"It's really hot and you have to stay hydrated however you can, stay wet, and come to places like this," added another.
Those who can escape to the coast, others go to one of the 28 public swimming pools while health authorities advised the public to avoid outdoor activities during peak heat hours and stay hydrated, particularly vulnerable groups such as the elderly and young children.
In extreme episodes like this, heat strokes, cases of dehydration and deaths rise, and according to the Spanish Home Office incidents of domestic violence also rise, along with the risk of wildfires across Spain and Portugal.
It's the first heatwave of the season and it's come early. Only 11 of the last 75 heatwaves have hit in June since they started counting in 1975, while June is on track to become the hottest Spanish month on record.
Heatwaves that increase in frequency and intensity can be attributed to climate change, say experts, with Europe the fastest-warming place on the planet in this climate emergency.
Spain basking in record-breaking temperatures. /Emilio Morenatti and Paul White/AP
A 2003 heatwave caused 35,000 deaths across Europe - 6,500 of those were in Spain. This was the beginning of the warning system we have today, and despite the frequency and intensity of the heatwaves getting worse since then, the death rate has not risen as sharply as the temperatures thanks to the protocols, early warnings and other mitigation measures taken by the government.
In Madrid, for example, along with the 28 public pools, the city hall has put some some innovative programs into action like 'cultural climate refuges' where museums, cinemas, libraries are open for those escaping the heat. Flamenco and theatre performances are also put on.
Elderly day centers also open their doors to people sleeping on the streets, and more permanent sun shades have been installed in the center of the city. These measures are mirrored across the country.
Experts say the first heatwave of the year is the most dangerous because people are the least prepared for it, and in Madrid both tourists and locals could be seen, wisely, avoiding the sun at the hottest hours of the day.