Spain records over 1,000 heat-related deaths in June amid record-breaking heatwave

Spain experienced a deadly heatwave in June, with at least 1,028 people dying from heat-related causes, according to the Carlos III Health Institute. This figure is a stark increase from the 407 heat-related deaths recorded in June 2025.

The nation's weather agency, Aemet, reported that the first six months of 2026 were the hottest since records began, with average temperatures 1.6 degrees Celsius above normal. June 2026 was the second hottest June on record, with temperatures averaging 3.2 degrees above normal.

Europe was gripped by an unprecedented heatwave in late June, which scientists from World Weather Attribution described as the most intense ever recorded on the continent. They stated that such a heatwave in June would be virtually impossible without climate change. Record temperatures were shattered across Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland also set new June records. France experienced its hottest average temperatures on record, with particularly high nighttime temperatures.

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Such a heatwave in June would be virtually impossible without climate change.