Bare-chested Britons drink beer in Benidorm and sunbathe in 23°C sunshine as UK freezes in snow at home
- Spain’s mini-heat wave was a boon to the Costa Blanca and many Britons enjoyed the sunshine
- Saturday will be even hotter with temperatures up to 26 degrees Celsius
British holidaymakers made the most of a Costa winter heatwave today as storm Larisa wreaked havoc across the UK.
Bare-chested tourists sipped lager in Benidorm under the sun and blue skies as others filled the beaches with temperatures reaching a glorious 23 degrees Celsius.
Saturday would be more of the same, only hotter with thermometers reaching an incredible 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in the popular Costa Blanca resort town.
Spain’s mini winter heatwave has also been a boon to the Costa del Sol, with top temperatures hovering around the same dizzying heights as the British back home who struggled with gales, blizzards and snow.
Sunbathers on Benidorm’s beaches soaked up some unexpected winter rays today
Bare-chested tourists drank lager in Benidorm while enjoying the midwinter sun and blue sky
Saturday would be more of the same, only hotter with thermometers reaching an incredible 26 degrees Celsius.
Hundreds of people filled Benidorm’s beaches today as temperatures reached a glorious 23 degrees Celsius.
Ricky Davis, 35, who took off his T-shirt at lunchtime to enjoy a lager in a pub in the Little England area of Benidorm, said: ‘I arrived here yesterday and I can’t believe it.
‘I’m from Manchester and just called a friend who says it’s freezing there.
‘He was supposed to come with me, but a last-minute work thing got in the way. He’s really broken.’
London’s Sheila Cummings, who was sunbathing with some friends on Benidorm’s famous Levante beach, added: ‘I didn’t pack my bikini until the last minute when I saw there was a mini heat wave coming.
“I still half expected the weathermen to get it wrong, but it’s better than I thought it would be.
‘I never thought I would have to put on SPF 15 sunscreen in winter in Benidorm. I’ll need an ice cream later.’
The Spanish weather agency Aemet predicts that temperatures this weekend will rise to 15 degrees Celsius than usual, especially on the Mediterranean coast.
In cities like Murcia in southeastern Spain, experts estimate they could exceed 30 degrees Celsius.
Holidaymakers enjoy the midwinter sun and a mini heat wave hits the Spanish coastal towns
Meanwhile, storm Larisa wreaked havoc across the UK. A man walks his dog in Tow Law, County Durham, after heavy snowfall this morning
Bare-chested beachgoers basked in the sun this week during Benidorm’s mini-heat wave
Hundreds flocked to the beach to enjoy the blue sky and the unexpected winter rays in Benidorm
British holidaymakers and resort residents are enjoying the Spanish sun on the beaches of Benidorm today
Many Brits headed for some winter sunshine in Benidorm as the UK continues to brace for storm Larisa
Brits and locals basked in the sun today as they soaked up the midwinter rays in Benidorm
Valencia is another place where the top temperature could reach 30 degrees Celsius tomorrow, the first time ever in the first half of March since records began in 1869.
The temperatures are more similar to those that Spain normally experiences in late May and early June.
The unusual weather comes less than two weeks after heavy snowfall caused chaos in Mallorca.
About 20 inches of snow closed roads early last week and knocked out power in dozens of towns on the resort island.
Temperatures on the Costas will dip again after the weekend, reaching around 16 degrees Celsius (60 degrees Fahrenheit) in Benidorm by Wednesday and the same in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, although it is expected to remain fairly sunny.