Spain records hottest July since 1950, heat linked to 2,036 deaths

July 2026 was the warmest and one of the driest months on record for Catalonia, with temperatures exceeding 43 °C in Tarragona and anomalies of +3 °C to +5 °C at many XEMA stations. The Catalan Meteorological Service (Meteocat) noted record‑high night temperatures, including 26 torrid nights at the Barcelona‑Can Bruixa station, and a new absolute maximum of 40.9 °C.

Across Spain, the provisional estimate from the daily mortality monitoring system (MoMo) puts excess deaths linked to the heat at 2,036 for the month, of which 234 occurred in the Valencian Community. Three heat waves over 12 days produced an average of 11 deaths per day in the region, making July the deadliest on record there. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) confirmed the fourth heat wave (29‑31 July) caused 183 deaths nationwide, with temperatures reaching 40‑42 °C in the southeast.

The extreme heat was driven by three successive episodes with little relief, and precipitation was scarce, with many stations recording less than 1 mm for the whole month. The combination of record temperatures and prolonged dryness has set new climate benchmarks for the Iberian Peninsula.