Bare-chested Brits get on the beers in Benidorm and top up their tans in 23C sunshine while back home the UK freezes in the snow
- Spain’s mini heatwave blessed the Costa Blanca as many Brits enjoyed the sun
- It’s set to get even hotter on Saturday as temperatures rise to 26 degrees Celsius
British holidaymakers made the most of a Costa winter heatwave today as Storm Larisa sparked chaos in the UK.
Bare-chested tourists downed pints of lager in Benidorm under sun and blue skies as others packed the beaches with temperatures reaching a glorious 23 degrees Celsius (73.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
On Saturday it was due to be more of the same, except hotter still with thermometers set to reach an incredible 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in the popular Costa Blanca resort.
Spain‘s mini-winter heatwave also blessed the Costa del Sol, with top temperatures around the same dizzy heights as Brits back at home struggled with gales, blizzards and snow.
Sun worshipers on Benidorm’s beaches today soaked up some unexpected winter rays
Bare-chested tourists downed pints of lager in Benidorm as they enjoyed the mid-winter sun and blue skies
On Saturday it was due to be more of the same, except hotter still with thermometers set to reach an incredible 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
Hundreds packed the beaches in Benidorm today as temperatures reached a glorious 23 degrees Celsius (73.5 degrees Fahrenheit)
Ricky Davis, 35, who stripped off his T-shirt to enjoy a lager at a pub in Benidorm’s Little England area at lunchtime today said: ‘I’ve got here yesterday and I can’t believe it.
‘I come from Manchester and have just got off the phone to a mate who says it’s freezing back there.
‘He was supposed to join me but a last-minute work thing got in the way. He’s really gutted.’
Londoner Sheila Cummings, sunning herself on Benidorm’s famous Levante beach with a couple of friends, added: ‘I only packed my bikini at the last minute when I saw there was going to be a mini-heatwave.
‘I was still half-expecting the weathermen to have got it wrong but it’s better than I thought it was going to be.
‘I never thought I’d have to be putting on factor 15 sunscreen in Benidorm in winter. I’ll be needing an ice cream in a bit.’
Spanish weather agency Aemet is predicting temperatures this weekend will be up to 15 degrees Celsius than normal, especially on the Mediterranean coast.
In cities like Murcia in south-east Spain experts reckon they could surpass 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
Holiday makers enjoy the mid-winter sun and a mini heat wave hits Spain’s coastal resorts
Meanwhile, Storm Larisa sparked chaos in the UK. A man walks his dog in Tow Law, County Durham, after heavy overnight snowfall this morning
Bare-chested beachgoers lay in the sun during the mini heatwave this week in Benidorm
Hundreds headed for the beach to enjoy the blue skies and unexpected mid-winter rays in Benidorm
British Holidaymakers and resort locals enjoy the Spanish Sun on Benidorm’s beaches today
Many Brits headed for some winter sun in Benidorm as the UK continues to brace for Storm Larisa
Brits and locals sat out in the sun as they enjoyed the mid-winter rays in Benidorm today
Valencia is another place where the top temperature tomorrow could reach 30 degrees Celsius, the first time ever in the first half of March since records began in 1869.
The temperatures are more akin to those Spain normally experiences at the end of May and beginning of June.
The unseasonal weather comes less than a fortnight after heavy snow brought chaos to Majorca.
Around 20 inches of snow shut roads and cut power in dozens of towns on the holiday island at the start of last week.
Temperatures on the Costas are due to drop again after the weekend, to 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 reasonably sunny.
