Mainland Spain breaks record for hottest April day

Mainland Spain has broken the record for the hottest day ever registered in the month of April, according to preliminary data from Spain's meteorological agency released Friday.

On Thursday, a mass of hot air from Africa drove up temperatures in Cordoba to 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 Fahrenheit), beating the previous record set in 2011 in Elche, Alicante.

Locally, 25 cities across the country saw their previous April records surpassed by as much as 5C (41F), as was the case in Granada.

On Friday, temperatures began to decrease in western and northern Spain, but they continued to rise along the Mediterranean coast, where more local heat records are expected to be broken.

Although the wildfire risk reached extreme levels in much of the country, major blazes have been avoided thus far.

This April may be remembered as the hottest and driest April in Spain's history. March was already the second warmest and driest of the 21st century.

This extreme weather is exacerbating the drought that is especially severe in parts of Catalonia and Andalusia.

Earlier this week, Spain requested emergency funds from Brussels to help its farmers cope with the drought, which is wiping out crops and threatening to destroy long-standing trees and vines.

The Bank of Spain's head also warned that the Spanish economy could be particularly hit hard by climate change.

By Saturday, the intense heat is expected to subside in most of the country, with parts of the north under advisory for strong rains and thunderstorms.