Spain records over 1,000 heat-related deaths as first half of 2026 becomes hottest on record

According to Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute, at least 1,028 heat-related deaths were recorded during June. Data from the Health Ministry’s daily mortality monitoring system, MoMo, put the figure at 1,029 excess deaths attributable to heat, making it the deadliest June linked to high temperatures since the monitoring system began in 2015.

The toll was more than double the 407 heat-related deaths recorded in June 2025, despite last June remaining Spain’s hottest June on record. In 2025, a total of 3,832 deaths were attributed to heat between mid-May and the end of September using the same monitoring system.

The MoMo (Monitoring de la Mortalité) system compiles daily mortality data across Spain, comparing observed deaths with the number expected based on historical records while also incorporating temperature data supplied by the national meteorological agency, AEMET.

Spain’s national weather agency said the first six months of 2026 were the hottest ever recorded, with average temperatures 1.6C above normal.

‘The seven warmest first semesters … have occurred over the past 10 years’, the AEMET agency said in a post on X.

June itself ranked as the country’s second-hottest on record, behind June 2025, with average temperatures 3.2C above normal.

The five-day heatwave saw temperatures exceed 40C in many areas. At its peak on 23 June, around 35.7 million people — roughly 73% of Spain’s population — were exposed to health risks because of the extreme heat, with 38% facing a high level of risk.

According to AEMET, Monday 22 June recorded an average national temperature of 28.17C, while Tuesday 23 June averaged 28.08C, making them the hottest June days recorded in Spain since 1950. ALSO READ: Heatwave crisis deepens across Europe with Spain among hardest hit.

The agency also highlighted the growing frequency of extreme heat at the beginning of summer. There have now been 12 June heatwaves since 1975, with half occurring during the past decade. The 13 hottest Junes since records began in 1961 have all occurred in the 21st century.

‘This is evidence that heatwaves appear at the beginning of summer with a higher frequency than before,’ said AEMET spokesperson Ruben del Campo. ALSO READ: Scorching temperatures hit Spain, UK & France driven by African ‘heat plume’.

During June alone, 165 maximum temperature records were broken at local weather stations, including 145 monthly records and 20 all-time highs. Overnight temperatures also reached unprecedented levels, with 225 highest minimum temperature records broken, comprising 180 monthly records and 45 all-time records.

AEMET said the first heatwave of the summer was exceptional in northern Spain ‘not only because of its intensity, but also because of its duration and persistence’. ALSO READ: Sánchez unveils Spain’s largest anti-wildfire operation after devastating 2025 fires.

The extreme temperatures were part of a broader heatwave that affected much of Europe. The World Weather Attribution group of scientists said the late-June heatwave was the most severe ever recorded across the continent and would have been ‘virtually impossible’ to occur in June without climate change. ALSO READ: Study finds climate change made Spain’s wildfires 40 times more likely.

The heat shattered all-time temperature records in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland recorded their hottest June temperatures on record. France also experienced record-breaking average temperatures, including its highest-ever overnight temperatures.