Forecasters predict temperatures up to 40C this week in Spain, the hottest day ever for April.

Temperatures that would normally be seen in July are expected to reach record levels between Wednesday and Friday.

This extreme weather will come after the driest march in some areas in the last 20 years, which has led to growing concern about the nation’s reserves of water and placed Spain in a long-term drought.

The reservoirs are at a 15% lower level than average, with some reducing to only 26% capacity. As summer approaches, the dry conditions raise concerns about more wildfires.

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Aemet, the Spanish state weather agency, said that there would be “a progressive entry of an air mass very warm and of African origin”, causing “values characteristic of summer”.

Aemet stated that temperatures in Andalusia’s Guadalquivir Valley, home to cities like Seville, could “even reach 40C” by Thursday or Friday.

The agency stated that temperatures will drop on Sunday and Tuesday, “ending the episode of unusually high temperatures for this time of year”.

In 2011, the highest temperature recorded in Spain in April was 37.4C (90.3F) in Murcia, in the south-east of the country.

On Wednesday, temperatures are expected to reach 30C (86F), before rising further.

Residents in Spain are being encouraged to consider how they use their water resources, as the drought continues to affect Spain despite recent wet and cold conditions elsewhere in Europe.

The agriculture sector has also suffered, with many crops suffering in the heat and drought.

Last week, Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez warned about the “challenge” his country continues to face from the impact of climate change.

He said: “The debate around drought will be one of the most important political and territorial discussions in our country for the next few years.”

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Soon, Europe’s record-breaking summer will be an “average” summer

Spain has experienced low rainfall and high temperature for the past three years. 2022 will be the hottest year on record, and the Mediterranean is warming faster than global average because of climate change.

In June , firefighters had to battle wildfires in spite of temperatures exceeding 40C (104F), which are usually associated with August weather.

The temperatures continued to rise throughout the summer. In extreme conditions, the temperature reached 45C (113F), resulting in many deaths.

As heatwave conditions gripped Southern Europe in 2021, Spain was sweltering at temperatures over 47C (116.6F).