Spain heat wave kills over 1,000 in second-hottest June ever

Spain endured a deadly heat wave in June, recording at least 1,028 heat-related deaths, according to the Carlos III Health Institute. This figure represents more than double the 407 deaths reported in June 2025 and marks the highest number of heat-attributed fatalities for the month since 2015. The intense heat peaked on June 23, exposing approximately 73% of Spain's population, or 35.7 million people, to health risks.

The nation's meteorological agency, Aemet, confirmed that last month was the second-hottest June on record, with average temperatures 3.2 degrees Celsius above normal. Compounding the issue, the first half of 2026 has been declared the warmest on record for the entire country, with temperatures averaging 1.6 degrees Celsius above normal. This extreme weather event is part of a broader pattern affecting Europe.

The continent experienced its most severe heat wave on record, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius in countries including France, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. The World Health Organization (WHO) has attributed over 1,300 additional deaths across Europe to this extreme heat, a number expected to rise. Scientists attribute the heat wave to a mass of hot air from the Sahara, trapped by a high-pressure system dubbed the "African anticyclone," creating a "heat dome" over Western and Central Europe. Experts emphasize that human-induced climate change has intensified these temperatures, making the current heat wave up to 4 degrees Celsius hotter than it would otherwise be.

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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.