Spanish meteorological department has said that the country experienced its warmest April temperature ever on Thursday, reaching 38.8C.
The record number was attained soon after 15:00 local time (14:00 BST) at Cordoba Airport in southern Spain.
With temperatures 10-15C higher than normal for April, a brutal heatwave has been sweeping the nation for days.
It was propelled by a mass of extremely hot air from Africa and a meteorological system that was moving slowly.
Experts were surprised by the scale of the heat experienced across southern Spain in recent days.
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Cristina Linares, a scientist at the Carlos III Health Institute, warned in particular of the impact on the poor.
Heatwaves are also striking many locations globally as climate change exacerbates naturally high temperatures.
While parts of Britain are cooler than average right now, the opposite is the case in many regions of Spain.
Meteorologists say that a combination of factors is responsible for the exceptional temperatures being seen there this week.
Hot weather across North Africa is pushing heat into Europe. A high-pressure weather system plus clear skies over the Iberian peninsula are allowing more sunshine to hit the ground, which is already so dry it can’t evaporate the heat.
Story adapted from BBC
