Spain reports over 1,000 excess deaths in second-hottest June ever as climate change-fueled heatwave scorches Europe
At least 1,028 people died of heat-related causes in Spain last month as the country endured its second-hottest June on record, with temperatures averaging 3.2°C above normal and a heatwave that swept across Europe, breaking temperature records from Germany to France.
Fatal heatwave in Spain
Spain recorded at least 1,028 excess deaths due to heat in June 2026, the Carlos III Health Institute reported on Wednesday. The figure is more than double the 407 heat-related deaths registered in June 2025, itself the hottest June on record at the time. This makes it the deadliest June from heat since 2015, according to the monitoring system MoMo. On the peak day of the heatwave, June 23, an estimated 35.7 million people, about 73% of Spain's population, were exposed to health risks.
Record-breaking temperatures
The national weather agency Aemet confirmed that June 2026 was the second-hottest June since records began in 1961, with average temperatures 3.2°C above normal. The warmest June remains 2025. Two specific days stood out: June 22 and 23 saw mean temperatures above 28°C, the highest for any June day since at least 1950. The first half of 2026 as a whole was the hottest ever recorded in Spain, with temperatures 1.6°C above the historical average.
The first half of 2026 becomes the warmest for the whole of Spain since records began, with a temperature 1.6 degrees Celsius above normal.
- June 2025
- 407 deaths
- June 2026
- 1028 deaths
Climate change drives extreme heat
The heatwave that scorched Spain was part of a larger European event described as the most severe ever recorded on the continent. The World Weather Attribution group said the extreme temperatures would have been virtually impossible in the month of June without human-caused climate change. A mass of hot air from the Sahara, trapped under a high-pressure system known as the "African anticyclone," created a heat dome over Western and Central Europe, allowing temperatures to climb day after day. Experts estimate that climate change made this year's record heatwave up to 4°C hotter than it would have been otherwise.
This heatwave would have been virtually impossible in June without climate change.
Europe-wide impacts
The heat dome broke all-time temperature records in several European nations, including Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. France experienced its highest-ever nighttime temperatures, while the UK and Switzerland saw record highs for the month of June. Ireland also recorded temperatures above 30°C, with 32.1°C measured in Athenry, County Galway. The World Health Organization blamed the heatwave for more than 1,300 additional deaths across Europe, a number expected to rise.
Ongoing alerts and risks
On Tuesday, the last day of June, nearly all of Spain was under some form of heat alert, with the highest red alerts issued for Andalusia, Cantabria, and the Basque Country. High temperatures continued into July, with seven autonomous regions under alerts on Wednesday, including orange-level warnings in Andalusia and Extremadura where temperatures could reach 40-41°C. Spanish authorities have warned that the risk persists as the country continues to live through what climate scientists describe as a worsening trend of more frequent and intense heatwaves.
