Mainland Spain endured its hottest summer since records began in 1961, with an unprecedented 61 heatwave days across June, July and August, national weather agency AEMET said on Wednesday. The average temperature for those three months was 24.5C, 0.3C above the previous record set in 2025 and 2.4C higher than the 1991-2020 reference period, AEMET said in a statement.
A string of exceptional summer heatwaves have smashed temperature records across Europe this year, a trend scientists say has been intensified and lengthened by human-driven climate change. AEMET said the 10 hottest summers on record in Spain have all occurred in the 21st century. This year’s number of summer heatwave days far exceeded the previous high of 41 recorded in 2022.
The exceptional heat has also spilled beyond the traditional limits of summer, with high temperatures recorded in late May and early September. The extreme heat has been linked to tens of thousands of excess deaths across Europe, disrupted daily life for millions in poorly adapted regions, and hurt the economy through drought and low river levels. The Carlos III Health Institute has estimated more than 5,000 heat-related deaths in Spain between June and August, a record since its statistics began in 2015.
