Spain’s Health Ministry attributed at least 1,028 deaths in June to extreme heat, surpassing the previous June record of 1,000 deaths in 2017, according to data released Wednesday.
The data from the Carlos III Health Institute and the ministry’s daily mortality monitoring system (MoMo) showed that the majority of victims were elderly, with 1,022 of the deaths occurring in people aged 65 or older, including 720 aged 85 and above. Only one death was recorded in a person younger than 15.
The spike in fatalities began around June 21, coinciding with the onset of a record-breaking heat wave and continued through the month’s end. The highest death tolls were concentrated in Spain’s Mediterranean and northern regions, such as Catalonia (218 deaths) and the Basque Country (147), where communities are typically less acclimatized to prolonged extreme heat.
June’s extreme temperatures marked Spain’s second-warmest June since records began in 1961, with the national weather agency AEMET reporting an average temperature 3.2 degrees Celsius (5.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1991-2020 average. Only June 2025 was warmer.
According to AEMET, "the 13 warmest Junes since 1961 have all occurred in the 21st century," underscoring a clear long-term warming trend. Spokesperson Ruben del Campo noted that heat waves now appear "with a higher frequency than before" at the start of summer.
The unprecedented heat wave saw temperatures surpassing 40 C and exposed 35.7 million people, about 73% of the Spanish population, to potential health risks, with 38% of those facing high risk.
Data showed that between June 1 and 30, the country broke 165 maximum temperature records (145 monthly and 20 all-time) and 225 highest minimum temperature records (180 monthly and 45 all-time) at local weather stations.
AEMET described the first heat wave of the summer as "exceptional in the country's north, not only because of its intensity, but also because of its duration and persistence."
This year has been the hottest first half on record in Spain, with temperatures 1.6 C above normal, AEMET reported. "The seven warmest first semesters ... have occurred over the past 10 years," the agency posted Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter.
Spain’s soaring June death toll forms part of a broader European pattern, as the World Weather Attribution group found the recent continental heat wave would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change.
All-time temperature records were shattered in several European countries, including Germany, Poland, Hungary, the U.K., and Switzerland.
France also recorded its highest-ever nighttime temperatures and reported around 1,000 excess deaths from last week's extreme temperatures.
Despite the staggering June statistics, Spain has faced even deadlier heat during other months, with over 2,200 heat-related deaths in July 2022 and 2,184 last August.
Still, health officials warn the respite may be brief, as AEMET forecasts the arrival of more hot air masses and another potential heat wave beginning this weekend, threatening yet another period of exceptionally high daytime and nighttime temperatures.
"This is evidence that heat waves now appear at the beginning of summer with a higher frequency than before," said AEMET’s del Campo.
"Global warming is making summer not only hotter but deadlier for vulnerable populations," he said.
