Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020

Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
People sunbathe in a marked out square in the sand, indicating two meters, on Barry Island beach, in Wales, Friday, July 31, 2020. First Minister for Wales, Mark Drakeford, has announced that from Monday up to 30 people can meet outside while maintaining social distancing in the latest easing of coronavirus measures in Wales. (Ben Birchall/PAvia AP)

As parts of Spain set record temperatures during a heatwave, people in Britain sweltered and flocked to beaches Friday on the country's hottest day so far this year.

San Sebastian on Spain's northern coast witnessed 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday—the hottest there since records began in 1955, the national weather agency said.

The city of Palma, on Spain's Mediterranean island of Mallorca, set a local record of 40.6 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.

The Spanish weather agency, Aemet, said tropical nights— when temperatures do not fall below 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)—were also frequent in many parts of Spain in July.

"Climate change is increasing the frequency of heatwaves," it said, adding that the annual number of days in heatwave conditions has doubled since the 1980s.

To the north, U.K. residents sought shade as temperatures rose above 37 degrees Celsius. National weather agency the Met Office said a reading of 37.8 degrees Celsius—100 degrees Fahrenheit—was recorded at Heathrow Airport west of London. That made Friday the hottest day of 2020 and the third-hottest on .

Previous bouts of hot have seen people pack beaches around the British coast—not always observing social distancing measures intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    Beachgoers enjoy the sunshine and sea on what is now Britain's hottest day of the year so far, in Brighton, England, Friday, July 31, 2020. Temperatures have reached 35C (95F) at London's Heathrow Airport. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    A Beachgoer enjoy the sunshine and sea on what is now Britain's hottest day of the year so far, in Brighton, England, Friday, July 31, 2020. Temperatures have reached 35C (95F) at London's Heathrow Airport. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    Beachgoers enjoy the sunshine and sea on what is now Britain's hottest day of the year so far, in Brighton, England, Friday, July 31, 2020. Temperatures have reached 35C (95F) at London's Heathrow Airport. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    Two people relax in deck chairs as beachgoers enjoy the sunshine and sea on what is now Britain's hottest day of the year so far, in Brighton, England, Friday, July 31, 2020. Temperatures have reached 35C (95F) at London's Heathrow Airport. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    General view of a near empty Covent Garden as many tourist attraction still see a small number of visitors, in London, Friday, July 31, 2020. The Met Office have predicted that parts of the UK will be hotter than mainland Europe this weekend. Temperatures were expected to reach mid 30 Degrees Celsius in many parts of the country on Friday. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    Beachgoers enjoy the sunshine and sea on what is now Britain's hottest day of the year so far, in Brighton, England, Friday, July 31, 2020. Temperatures have reached 35C (95F) at London's Heathrow Airport. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    Beachgoers enjoy the sunshine and sea on what is now Britain's hottest day of the year so far, in Brighton, England, Friday, July 31, 2020. Temperatures have reached 35C (95F) at London's Heathrow Airport. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    A woman drinks at the Barcaccia fountain, built between 1627 and 1629 by Pietro Bernini, possibly with the help of his son Gian Lorenzo, in downtown Rome, Friday, July 31, 2020. The first heat wave of the summer will last at least until Saturday, bringing temperatures over 34 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    A man jogs during a hot day of summer at the Retiro park in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The first heat wave of the summer, which will arrive this Thursday and will last at least until next Saturday will leave temperatures over 34 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    A couple sail a boat during a hot day of summer at the Retiro park in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The first heat wave of the summer, which will arrive this Thursday and will last at least until next Saturday will leave temperatures over 34 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
  • Spain sets temperature records, UK sees hottest day of 2020
    A sunbather checks her smartphone on a hot day of summer in Rivas Vaciamadrid, Spain, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The first heat wave of the summer, which will arrive this Thursday and will last at least until next Saturday will leave temperatures over 34 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The city council in Brighton, on England's south coast, appealed for visitors to stay away, saying it was "concerned about the number of people in the city."

"Large numbers make it impossible to maintain physical distancing," the council said.

Forecasters say the blast of heat will end later in the day and there was a chance of violent thunderstorms across eastern England as cooler air moves in.

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