Heat wave returns to Spain, bringing temperatures above 40C in large areas of peninsula

Starting Monday Spain is set to experience another heat wave which is expected to last for four days and cover most of the Iberian peninsula.

The Spanish meteorological agency on Monday issued a red warning (extreme danger) for maximum temperatures on Wednesday in Madrid and the Jaen province.

According to the agency, temperatures may reach 42-43C (107.6-109.4F) in Madrid and 44C (111.2F) in Jaen.

It issued orange warnings for most of the peninsula as temperatures are expected to top 40C (104F).

"Saturday began a period of successive thermal rises that will lead to an episode of high temperatures. This episode will form a heat wave between Monday and, probably, Thursday, affecting a good part of the Peninsula," the agency said on Sunday.

The agency cautioned that temperatures in the southern parts may even exceed 42 to 44C (104-111.2F) and added that intense heat could reach the Canary Islands – a Spanish territory in the Atlantic, off Northwestern Africa – by midweek.

Starting Thursday, a drop in temperatures is expected in the northwest of the peninsula. However, temperatures will still be relatively high, albeit milder than in previous days, the agency said.