Spain logs record 61 heatwave days in 2026, hottest summer ever
Spain recorded 61 heatwave days in 2026, its hottest summer since 1961, with 5,234 heat-related deaths.
Spain experienced its most extreme summer on record in 2026, with the national weather agency AEMET confirming 61 days of heatwave conditions across the mainland and Balearic Islands. This figure far surpasses the previous high of 41 days set in 2022.
The average summer temperature reached 24.5 degrees Celsius, exceeding the 2025 record by 0.3 degrees and running 2.4 degrees above the 1991-2020 baseline. AEMET noted that all ten of Spain's hottest summers have occurred in the 21st century, with seven of the eight warmest recorded since 2015.
Four major heatwaves struck the mainland and islands, including a six-day episode in early September. The most intense spell, covering most of July, affected 37 provinces with a temperature anomaly of 3.9 degrees Celsius. The July and August heatwaves, lasting 23 and 24 days respectively, rank among the longest since 1975.
The Canary Islands saw a separate five-day heatwave in August. Unseasonable warmth extended beyond the traditional summer months, with July-level temperatures in late May and a September heatwave affecting 16 provinces — only the fifth such event on record for that month.
Health ministry data from the MoMo monitoring system indicates 5,234 people died from heat-related causes between May 15 and August 31, the highest toll since tracking began in 2015. Scientists attribute the increasing frequency of extreme weather events to human-caused climate change.