Spain Endures Record 61 Heatwave Days and Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
Unprecedented Heatwaves and Temperature Records in Spain
Record-Breaking Heatwave Statistics
MADRID, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Spain recorded 61 days under heatwave conditions across the mainland and Balearic Islands in 2026, the highest number on record and far above the previous peak of 41 days in 2022, national weather agency AEMET said on Wednesday.
Spain also experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1961, with an average temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius (76.1 degrees Fahrenheit), 0.3 degrees above the previous record set in 2025 and 2.4 degrees above the 1991-2020 average.
Details of Major Heatwaves
- Four heatwaves affected mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, including a six-day episode in early September, AEMET said, meaning that Spain experienced extremely high temperatures on approximately two out of every three days of the summer.
- The most intense heatwave, lasting most of July, affected 37 provinces and a temperature anomaly of 3.9 C was recorded.
- The July and August heatwaves, lasting 23 and 24 days respectively, were among the longest on record since at least 1975.
- The September episode affected 16 provinces and was the fifth heatwave recorded in that month since records began.
- The Canary Islands experienced a separate five-day heatwave in August.
- AEMET said the summer-like conditions extended beyond June, July and August, with July-level temperatures across large parts of Spain in late May and the heatwave during the meteorological autumn in September.
Historical Context and Impact
- Spain's 10 hottest summers on record have all occurred in the 21st century, while seven of the eight hottest have occurred since 2015.
- Data on the Health Ministry's daily mortality monitoring system MoMo showed that 5,234 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes between May 15 and August 31, the highest toll recorded for the summer period since the monitoring system was launched in 2015.
- Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to human-caused climate change.
Reporting and Editorial Credits
(Reporting by Benjamín Mejías Valencia; Editing by Alison Williams)
