ClimavisoJuly 2020 heatwave: heat in Extremadura and Andalucía, 18–20 July 2020
18 July 2020 to 20 July 2020. Updated 26 October 2026.
AEMET records a heatwave from 18 July to 20 July 2020.
Over 3 days, 15 of Spain's 182 warning zones had an orange or red warning for heat: 23 zone-days at orange or red, 0 of them red. The day with the most zones at orange or red was 20 July, with 12 zones.
18 July was the day with the most people in zones under an orange or red warning: 4.4 million people live there (INE municipal register, 2025).
How it compares
- It is number 110 of 119 episodes since June 2018 by zone-days at orange or red.
- Among the 37 heat episodes, it is number 36.
Day by day
| Day | Red | Orange | Yellow | Orange or red warnings for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 18 July | — | 10 | 39 | heat |
| Sun 19 July | — | 1 | 55 | heat |
| Mon 20 July | — | 12 | 65 | heat |
Zones with a warning each day, at their highest level that day.
The zones
| Zone | Province | Highest level | Warning days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas del Guadiana | Badajoz | orange | 3 |
| Campiña cordobesa | Córdoba | orange | 3 |
| Campiña sevillana | Sevilla | orange | 3 |
| La Siberia extremeña | Badajoz | orange | 3 |
| Tajo y Alagón | Cáceres | orange | 3 |
| Valle del Guadalquivir de Jaén | Jaén | orange | 3 |
| Valle del Tajo | Toledo | orange | 3 |
| Barros y Serena | Badajoz | orange | 3 |
| Este, sur y oeste de Gran Canaria | Gran Canaria | orange | 3 |
| Miño de Ourense | Ourense | orange | 3 |
| Norte de Cáceres | Cáceres | orange | 3 |
| Sur de Badajoz | Badajoz | orange | 3 |
| Villuercas y Montánchez | Cáceres | orange | 3 |
| Miño de Pontevedra | Pontevedra | orange | 2 |
| Andévalo y Condado | Huelva | orange | 1 |
And 79 more zones with yellow warnings only.
What AEMET's stations measured
The most measured in the zones with an orange or red warning, on their warning days: a high of 43.2 °C at Sevilla Aeropuerto (Campiña sevillana) on 20 July.
| Zone | Highest temperature |
|---|---|
| Campiña sevillana | 43.2 °C Sevilla Aeropuerto · 20 July |
| Campiña cordobesa | 42.5 °C Córdoba Aeropuerto · 20 July |
| Andévalo y Condado | 42.0 °C Villarrasa · 20 July |
| Vegas del Guadiana | 41.8 °C Don Benito · 18 July |
| Miño de Ourense | 41.1 °C Ribadavia · 18 July |
| Este, sur y oeste de Gran Canaria | 41.0 °C La Aldea de San Nicolás, Tasarte · 19 July |
| La Siberia extremeña | 40.9 °C Navalvillar de Pela · 18 July |
| Tajo y Alagón | 40.9 °C Navalmoral de la Mata · 18 July |
| Sur de Badajoz | 40.8 °C Jerez de los Caballeros · 20 July |
| Valle del Tajo | 40.5 °C Oropesa · 18 July |
| Barros y Serena | 40.3 °C Almendralejo · 18 July |
| Valle del Guadalquivir de Jaén | 40.2 °C Baeza · 20 July |
| Villuercas y Montánchez | 40.1 °C Alcuescar · 18 July |
| Norte de Cáceres | 39.3 °C Guijo de Granadilla · 18 July |
| Miño de Pontevedra | 39.1 °C Ponteareas, Canedo · 18 July |
For each zone, the highest value its AEMET stations measured on the episode's warning days (the lowest, for the low temperature), with the station and the day. Rain from 07:00 to 07:00 UTC; gust: the day's strongest. It is what the zone's stations measured, not every town, and a measurement, like a warning, is not damage.
How AEMET's warnings unfolded
The orange warning reached 23 zone-days, and AEMET always issued it ahead of time (median: 2 days). The first warning of any level for those same days had come a median 12 h earlier.
| Zone | Day | First warning | Orange issued | For · notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tajo y Alagón | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 orange | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 | 13:00 · 61 h before |
| Vegas del Guadiana | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 orange | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 | 13:00 · 61 h before |
| Campiña cordobesa | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Thu 16 Jul, 11:37 | 12:00 · 48 h before |
| Campiña sevillana | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Thu 16 Jul, 11:37 | 12:00 · 48 h before |
| La Siberia extremeña | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Thu 16 Jul, 11:37 | 13:00 · 49 h before |
| Valle del Guadalquivir de Jaén | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Thu 16 Jul, 11:37 | 12:00 · 48 h before |
| Valle del Tajo | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Thu 16 Jul, 11:37 | 13:00 · 49 h before |
| Este, sur y oeste de Gran Canaria | Sat 18 | Thu 16 Jul, 11:37 yellow | Thu 16 Jul, 22:58 | 12:00 · 37 h before |
| Miño de Ourense | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Fri 17 Jul, 21:27 | 13:00 · 16 h before |
| Miño de Pontevedra | Sat 18 | Wed 15 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Fri 17 Jul, 21:54 | 13:00 · 15 h before |
| Vegas del Guadiana | Sun 19 | Thu 16 Jul, 23:50 yellow | Fri 17 Jul, 23:00 | 14:00 · 39 h before |
| Vegas del Guadiana | Mon 20 | Fri 17 Jul, 23:50 orange | Fri 17 Jul, 23:50 | 13:00 · 61 h before |
| Andévalo y Condado | Mon 20 | Sat 18 Jul, 11:32 orange | Sat 18 Jul, 11:32 | 12:00 · 48 h before |
| Campiña cordobesa | Mon 20 | Sat 18 Jul, 11:32 orange | Sat 18 Jul, 11:32 | 12:00 · 48 h before |
| Campiña sevillana | Mon 20 | Sat 18 Jul, 11:32 orange | Sat 18 Jul, 11:32 | 12:00 · 48 h before |
And 8 more zone-days.
The full timeline: 28 changes at orange or red
Wed 15 July
- Tajo y Alagón: Issues a orange heat warning: Saturday 18, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Vegas del Guadiana: Issues a orange heat warning: Saturday 18, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 41 °C.
Thu 16 July
- Campiña cordobesa, Campiña sevillana, Valle del Guadalquivir de Jaén: Raises the heat warning to orange: Saturday 18, 12:00–20:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- La Siberia extremeña: Raises the heat warning to orange: Saturday 18, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Valle del Tajo: Raises the heat warning to orange: Saturday 18, 13:00–19:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Este, sur y oeste de Gran Canaria: Raises the heat warning to orange: Saturday 18, 12:00–20:00. Highs of 37 °C.
Fri 17 July
- Valle del Tajo: Lowers the heat warning to yellow: Saturday 18, 13:00–19:00. Highs of 39 °C.
- Campiña sevillana: Lowers the heat warning to yellow: Saturday 18, 12:00–20:00. Highs of 39 °C.
- Miño de Ourense: Raises the heat warning to orange: Saturday 18, 13:00–19:00. Highs of 39 °C.
- Miño de Pontevedra: Raises the heat warning to orange: Saturday 18, 13:00–19:00. Highs of 37 °C.
- Miño de Ourense: Extends the orange heat warning: now until 20:00 on Saturday 18. Highs of 39 °C.
- Miño de Pontevedra: Extends the orange heat warning: now until 20:00 on Saturday 18. Highs of 37 °C.
- Vegas del Guadiana: Raises the heat warning to orange: Sunday 19, 14:00–21:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Vegas del Guadiana: Issues a orange heat warning: Monday 20, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 40 °C.
Sat 18 July
- Vegas del Guadiana: Lowers the heat warning to yellow: Sunday 19, 14:00–21:00. Highs of 39 °C.
- Andévalo y Condado, Campiña cordobesa, Campiña sevillana: Issues a orange heat warning: Monday 20, 12:00–22:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Valle del Guadalquivir de Jaén: Issues a orange heat warning: Monday 20, 12:00–20:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Tajo y Alagón: Raises the heat warning to orange: Monday 20, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Valle del Tajo: Raises the heat warning to orange: Monday 20, 13:00–19:00. Highs of 40 °C.
Sun 19 July
- Barros y Serena, La Siberia extremeña, Sur de Badajoz: Raises the heat warning to orange: Monday 20, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Norte de Cáceres, Villuercas y Montánchez: Raises the heat warning to orange: Monday 20, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 39 °C.
AEMET's issue times, in mainland Spain time (Canary Islands in island time). Notice is the time from issue to the first hour the warning covered; a warning issued “for the current hour” runs from the hour it is published.
What this says and what it doesn't
A warning is an AEMET forecast, not a measurement or a damage report: it says a threshold is expected to be exceeded in a zone. A warning is not damage; a zone is not a building.
A zone-day is one warning zone with a warning on one day. Ten zones at orange on the same day make ten zone-days. A day with several warnings in one zone counts once, at its highest level.
Each zone has its own thresholds, so an orange heat warning in Asturias doesn't mean the same temperature as in Córdoba. More in how warnings work.
To cite: “Climaviso, from AEMET warnings”.
Source: official AEMET warnings, collected by Climaviso since June 2018.
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