More than 5,000 deaths linked to extreme heat were recorded in Spain between June 1 and August 31, marking a record for the period since the Carlos III Health Institute began collecting comparable data in 2015.
The Madrid-based public health institute attributed 2,149 deaths to heat in August, 2,025 in July and 937 in June, bringing the total to 5,111 deaths over the three-month period, according to data reviewed by Agence France-Presse.
The figure surpasses the previous record for the same three months, set in 2022, when authorities attributed 4,652 deaths to heat.
By comparison, heat accounted for 3,651 deaths during the same period in 2025 and 1,977 in 2024.
How Spain calculates heat-related deaths
The estimates come from Spain’s MoMo mortality monitoring system, which records deaths across the country every day and calculates the difference between observed mortality and the expected number of deaths based on historical data.
The system also incorporates factors including temperatures reported by Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
Like much of Europe, Spain has experienced an exceptionally hot summer in 2026, with successive waves of extreme heat affecting large parts of the country.
Another heat surge expected
Spain now faces another sharp rise in temperatures after several days of relatively cool conditions for the season in many areas.
Aemet warned over the weekend that September could begin with summer-like heat, with temperatures potentially reaching more than 10 degrees Celsius above seasonal averages.
July 2026 had already tied with July 2022 as the hottest July ever recorded in Spain, according to Aemet.
The month, which also saw unprecedented wildfires across the country, was additionally the driest July since records began in 1961, the meteorological agency said.
Spain stands on the front line of climate change and has experienced increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures repeatedly climbing well above 40°C.
