Spain has linked more than 1,000 deaths to the recent heatwave that swept across Europe, as officials confirmed the country experienced its hottest first six months since weather records began.
Data released on Wednesday by Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute showed that at least 1,028 people died from heat-related causes during the prolonged period of extreme temperatures.
The latest figure represents a dramatic increase compared to the same period last year, when 407 heat-related deaths were recorded during June 2025, which itself had been recognised as Spain’s hottest June on record at the time.
Spain’s national meteorological agency, Aemet, also announced that the first half of 2026 has officially become the warmest January-to-June period ever documented in the country.
According to the agency, average temperatures during the six-month period were 1.6 degrees Celsius above long-term climate norms.
In a statement posted on X, Aemet noted that the trend of rising temperatures has become increasingly pronounced in recent years.
“The seven warmest first semesters… have occurred over the past 10 years,” the weather agency stated.
The agency further revealed that June 2026 ranked as the country’s second-hottest June since records began, with nationwide temperatures averaging 3.2 degrees Celsius above historical averages.
The extreme weather formed part of a wider heatwave that affected much of Europe from late June, bringing unusually high temperatures to several countries.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution network described the event as the most severe June heatwave ever observed across Europe.
According to the research group, the intensity of the heat would have been “virtually impossible” without the influence of climate change.
The organisation concluded that human-induced global warming significantly increased both the likelihood and severity of the record-breaking temperatures experienced across the continent.
Several European countries reported unprecedented temperatures during the heatwave.
New national temperature records were established in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, while the United Kingdom and Switzerland each experienced their hottest June on record.
France also endured exceptionally high temperatures, recording its warmest overnight conditions ever measured, as residents struggled with persistent daytime and nighttime heat.
Climate experts have repeatedly warned that rising global temperatures are increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of heatwaves worldwide, posing growing risks to public health, agriculture, infrastructure and energy systems.
The latest figures from Spain add to mounting evidence of the human cost of extreme weather events linked to climate change, particularly among elderly people and other vulnerable populations.
