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Madrid faces a day of intense heat with a yellow warning
Madrid faces a Wednesday marked by intense heat. The State Meteorological Agency is keeping the yellow warning active for temperatures that could approach 39 degrees in several parts of the Community, a situation that will once again affect travel, outdoor work and plans in the street.
The warning will be in force between 13:00 and 21:00, precisely during the harshest part of the day. The affected areas include the Metropolitan area, Henares, South, Vegas, West and the Sierra, so much of the region will have to contend with a stifling atmosphere during the afternoon.
In Madrid city, temperatures will range between 22 and 37 degrees. The minimum will bring a warm night and little relief at dawn, while the maximum will require people to seek shade, reduce exertion and avoid prolonged sun exposure during the middle hours.
Heat will be even more pronounced in municipalities such as Alcalá de Henares and Aranjuez, where up to 39 degrees are expected. Getafe and Navalcarnero will reach 38, while Collado Villalba will remain around 36. In the Sierra, maximums may drop slightly, although they will remain above 34 degrees.
The sky will remain mostly clear, with some high clouds during the middle hours. The wind will be light and variable, predominantly easterly at the beginning and end of the day, so it will not do much to ease the feeling of heat in streets, squares and transport stops.
The day will particularly affect people working outdoors, older people, children, pregnant women and residents with chronic illnesses. It may also complicate daily journeys in neighbourhoods with little shade, homes that accumulate heat or long public-transport trips.
The recommendations are the usual ones again, but they should not be ignored: drink water frequently, avoid intense exercise from midday to the afternoon, wear light clothing and stay in cool spaces whenever possible. On days like this, risk increases when heat accumulates for several hours.
The yellow warning does not imply an extreme situation, but it does indicate a level of risk that requires attention. With maximums close to 40 degrees, a long wait in the sun, a walk without shade or a poorly ventilated home can become a real problem, especially for the most vulnerable people.
Madrid will experience another afternoon of harsh summer, one of those in which schedules change by themselves: terraces seek shade, parks empty at midday and plans shift towards night. The city will continue functioning, but it will do so at the pace imposed by the heat.