Spain holiday warning as Brit holidaymakers set to be battered by ‘mud rain’ in 15C as UK basks in 22C
BRITS heading on vacation to Spain have been warned that they could be battered by “mud rain” with temperatures set to dip to as low as 15C.
The Spanish national forecaster, , has issued yellow rainfall warnings for popular tourist regions including Andalucia, Valencia, Alicante and Ibiza.
The alerts are set to come into force on Thursday, ahead of a chaotic weekend of Easter holiday travel.
Tourists have been urged to continue to follow the advice of local authorities - avoiding activities such as boating, swimming, surfing and rock fishing.
The fresh warning follows weeks of extreme weather in Spain as various regions battled flooding, 70mph gale force winds and “claimas” – where sand particles are washed out of the atmosphere.
The dust storm was reportedly so bad that it turned the entire sky orange in part of Murica, according to .
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The Head of Climatology at the University of Alicante, Professor Jorge Olcina, concluded the the country is currently experiencing “one of the rainiest spring starts, and end of winter in recent decades.”
Meanwhile, Britain is set to bask in spring sunshine over the Easter weekend with temperatures set to reach a year-high 22C.
The warm weather is expected to be driven by a “Saharan” blast of hot air coming from the south as the week progresses.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: "The trend is for temperatures to rise.
"If things play out, we could be looking at 20C or 21C in the south over Easter."
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BBC meteorologist Louise Lear said the warm temperatures are “coming up from the Sahara”.
She said: “It’s going to be pushing its way steadily up north with the exception perhaps of the Northern isles.
“It looks like Wednesday will be the warmest day of the week with 19C or 20C not out of the question and a great deal of dry weather as we head towards the Easter weekend.”
Good Friday is forecast to see warm temperatures between 15C and 18C across the UK.
Aidan McGivern, a Met Office meteorologist, said: "Warmer weather is on the way for the start of the week, and we could even see 20C in the southeast.
"The general trend is for it to turn warmer with higher pressure increasingly likely through the week and into the following week."
What is a 'calima' mud storm
A calima is the Spanish word for a storm which colours the skies orange with dust carried from the Sahara.
Calimas can cause muddy rain and cover cars and houses in a thick layer of dust.
Tourists should take care to avoid strenuous exercise as calimas can affect air quality.
The Met Office said the country would effectively be divided in two.
A spokesman said: “A northwest/southeast split of weather is likely to form, with the northwest more changeable, with strong winds and rain.
“Some rain may occasionally spread into parts in the South East at first, but it is likely to turn dry and become generally much more settled, though perhaps cloudy, in the South, with lighter winds.”
Scotland could also see some rainfall.
However, overall bookmakers are expecting a scorcher, with Ladbrokes slashing its odds to 5/2 for it being the hottest Easter on record.
Spokesman Alex Apati said: "It looks as though a record-breaking hot Easter could now be on the cards if the latest odds are anything to go by."
Before the warm weather arrives, Wednesday will mostly be bright with sunny spells, especially in the early evening, but still with some scattered showers possible in most places.
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Thursday will be mostly cloudy, though with sunshine for southern England.
It will be mostly dry with a chance of showers.
