Spain’s 16-day heatwave earlier this month was ‘the most intense on record’, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) said on Sunday.
In a post on social media (see below), AEMET said that the 3-18 August hot spell surpassed the previous benchmark from July 2022, with the average temperature coming in 4.6ºC above typical values for comparable heatwaves.
For Spain overall, the first 20 days of August constituted the warmest such span since at least 1961. AEMET also confirmed that 8-17 August formed the hottest 10-day period observed in Spain ‘since at least 1950’.
Based on current data, AEMET said that, ‘with almost complete certainty’, the summer of 2025 will rank among the two warmest in the historical series, comparable to July 2022.
The agency noted that hot spells have outnumbered cold ones this year. March was markedly cold and May was roughly average, but every other month ran warmer than normal. ‘In Spain, heatwaves are increasing in duration, extent and intensity,’ they said.
‘Our country has always had hot summers, but in recent years, episodes of very high temperatures, both daytime and nighttime, have been recorded more frequently,’ they added.
The August heat further dried already volatile landscapes, intensifying wildfire conditions that continue to affect parts of northern and western Spain. ALSO READ: Spain’s wildfires almost all under control, but ‘final effort’ still required.
An estimate published on Tuesday by the Carlos III Health Institute links more than 1,100 deaths in Spain to the heatwave.
Since records began in 1975, AEMET has counted 77 heatwaves nationwide. Six have run at least 4ºC above average – five of those occurring since 2019.
Scientists broadly agree that climate change is making heatwaves longer, stronger and more frequent around the world.
AEMET says it is ‘a scientific fact that current summers are hotter than in previous decades’. It added: ‘Each summer is not always going to be hotter than the previous one, but there is a clear trend towards much more extreme summers. What is key is adapting to, and mitigating, climate change.’ ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez visits wildfire-hit Galicia and pledges ‘national pact’ to address climate emergency.
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