MADRID — Spain recorded 1,029 excess deaths linked to extreme heat in June, official data showed Wednesday, after a prolonged heatwave drove temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and made the month the country’s second-hottest June on record.
Figures from the Health Ministry’s daily mortality monitoring system, known as MoMo, showed June registered the highest number of heat-related deaths for the month since comparable records began in 2015.
Spain’s weather agency, AEMET, said average temperatures during June were 3.2 degrees Celsius above the seasonal norm, making it the second-hottest June on record behind June 2025.
At the peak of the heatwave on June 23, an estimated 35.7 million people, or about 73% of Spain’s population, were exposed to heat-related health risks. Of those, roughly 38% faced a high level of risk, according to official data.
AEMET said Spain has experienced 12 June heatwaves since 1975, with six occurring during the past decade, highlighting a growing trend toward earlier and more frequent extreme heat events.
The agency also noted that the 13 warmest Junes since records began in 1961 have all occurred during the 21st century.
“This is evidence that heatwaves appear at the beginning of summer with a higher frequency than before,” AEMET spokesperson Ruben del Campo said.
Extreme temperatures shattered records across the country throughout June. AEMET reported 165 maximum temperature records at local weather stations, including 145 monthly records and 20 all-time highs, while 225 records for overnight minimum temperatures were also broken, including 45 all-time records.
The first heatwave of the summer was particularly severe in northern Spain, where AEMET said the event stood out not only for its intensity but also for its duration and persistence.
