'Furnace Friday,' 'Stultifying Saturday,' call these days what you will - but Thursday's start to an epic heatwave saw several of Portugal's cities among the hottest in the world.
Data from the IPMA weather service showed ten of the 18 district capitals in Portugal hitting 40ºC or more - Riyadh, 42ºC, and Kuwait at 43ºC were topped by Santarém at 45ºC and Évora at 44ºC.
But things will get hotter as today’s desert dust, suspended in the air, depressed highs.
Saturday is the big day, with Beja predicted to reach 47ºC, the same temperature as the aptly named, Death Valley* in California.
Friday will not be cool, with 44ºC expected in Évora, Setúbal, Santarém and Castelo Branco but Saturday promises to be worse, with temperatures leaping to 47ºC in Beja, 46ºC in Évora and 45ºC in Setúbal.
Vânia Lopes, an IPMA meteorologist, confirmed that Saturday may reach historical maximum temperatures across the country.
At the moment, the record is 47.3°C, recorded at Amareleja in 2003. However, Lopes confirmed that the dust particles coming from North Africa may yet affect the predicted highs.
Helder Silvano, who manages the Meteo Abrantes website, says that the current and predicted highs are, "exceptionally rare" and agrees with the IMPA that records will be broken.
The authorities ask people to check on elderly neighbours, especially if they are living alone, avoid outdoor activities and pay attention to the warnings – they are not an exaggeration. The last heatwave led to the death of 1,700 people in Portugal.
People should also keep hydrated and avoid the sun, especially between 11.00 and 17.00.
The Algarve will miss the most extreme temperatures. The IPMA site shows Faro with highs of 36, 37 and 35°C over the next three days and Aljezur at 38, 39 and 34°C. There is zero chance of rain...
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On the afternoon of July 10, 1913, the United States Weather Bureau recorded a high temperature of 134°F (56.7°C) at Greenland Ranch (now Furnace Creek) in Death Valley. This temperature stands as the highest ambient air temperature ever recorded at the surface of the Earth.
