article_detail

Alicante is bracing for one of the most extreme days of the summer, as Aemet has issued a red alert for the northern coast of the province on Wednesday August 19, with temperatures expected to reach 42°C and potentially climbing as high as 44°C in some areas.

 

The alert, upgraded from an earlier orange warning covering most of the province, will bring persistent westerly winds, very low humidity and extremely dry soil and vegetation, a combination Aemet has described as creating an "extreme" risk of wildfires alongside the health dangers posed by the heat itself, particularly for vulnerable people.

 

The red alert applies specifically to the northern coast between 1pm and 8.59pm on Wednesday, with the northern pre-coastal area expected to bear the brunt of it. Pego is forecast to see record highs of 42°C, while the rest of the province remains under an orange alert, with highs of 40°C expected in both the interior and the southern coast during the same hours.

 

Temperatures will vary significantly by municipality. Orihuela is forecast to reach highs of 42°C, Elche 41°C, Alcoy 40°C, Dénia 39°C and Alicante city itself a comparatively mild 36°C. Skies are expected to stay largely clear or sunny, with some cloud building later in the day, while overnight lows remain largely unchanged from previous days.

 

Winds will start light and variable before turning moderate from the west and southwest as the day goes on, a pattern Aemet has warned will combine with the heat and dry conditions to create particularly unfavourable circumstances for fire risk.

 

This year has now become the first since the Meteoalerta plan was introduced that the Valencian Community has seen five separate days of red heat alerts, following previous episodes on July 7, 8, 15 and 23.

 

The last time the community saw multiple red alert days in a year was 2025, when three were activated across August 16, 17 and 18, with a further three recorded in 2021 across July 12 and August 14 and 15.

 

Find all the latest weather and climate change news here or join our Alicante Weather Watch Facebook group for regular updates

Images: Aemet