More than 1,000 fatalities in Spain were officially attributed to the intense heatwave that recently gripped much of Europe, according to information released by authorities on Wednesday. The country has also recorded its hottest first six months of the year since records began, as reported by national weather officials.
Data provided by the public Carlos III Health Institute revealed that at least 1,028 people lost their lives due to heat-related complications throughout the duration of the heatwave. This figure represents a sharp increase from the 407 deaths attributed to heat in June 2025, which was previously cited by the national weather agency Aemet as the hottest June on record since data collection first started.
Aemet noted in a social media update on Wednesday that the first six months of 2026 stood as the hottest such period in Spain’s history, with average temperatures settling at 1.6C above normal levels. The agency emphasized that the seven warmest first semesters of the year have all taken place within the past decade. Furthermore, June 2026 was confirmed as the second-hottest June on record, with average temperatures measured at 3.2C above the historical norm.
The extensive heatwave that scorched the European continent beginning in late June was categorized by the World Weather Attribution group of scientists as the most severe event ever documented in Europe. The research group suggested that such extreme conditions would have been considered virtually impossible to occur in June without the ongoing, compounding effects of climate change.
The impact of the heatwave was widespread, as all-time temperature records were surpassed in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. Similarly, the United Kingdom and Switzerland saw their own records broken specifically for the month of June. France also dealt with record-breaking average temperatures, experiencing its highest-ever night-time temperatures during the period.
