Spain had hottest summer with 61 heatwave days, AEMET says

Mainland Spain had its hottest summer since records began in 1961, with an unprecedented 61 heatwave days across June, July and August, national weather agency AEMET said Wednesday.

AEMET said the average temperature for the three months was 24.5C. That was 0.3C above the previous record, set in 2025, and 2.4C above the 1991-2020 reference period.

The agency said Spain's 10 hottest summers on record have all occurred in the 21st century. This year's 61 summer heatwave days exceeded the previous high of 41, recorded in 2022.

Exceptional heat also extended beyond the traditional summer period. AEMET said El Granado in southwestern Spain reached 45.7C on September 2, equalling the national temperature record for the month and marking Spain's highest temperature this year.

Scientists say human-driven climate change has intensified and lengthened exceptional summer heatwaves across Europe this year.

In Spain, the Carlos III Health Institute estimated more than 5,000 heat-related deaths from June to August, a record since its statistics began in 2015.

The heat also contributed to conditions for wildfires. In late July, a blaze west of Madrid prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, with authorities at the time describing it as the largest wildfire in Spain's recent history. The European Forest Fire Information System said almost 296,000 hectares had burned in Spain this year as of September 2.