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Spain recorded its hottest July since national meteorological records began in 1961, with a national average temperature of 27.1 °C across the peninsula, according to provisional data released by the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET. The figure surpasses the previous July record set in 2022 by 0.3 °C and sits 2.7 °C above the seasonal average for the 1991–2020 reference period.
Record Temperatures and Persistent Heatwaves Across Spain
The extreme heat was driven by successive weather events, including the summer’s second and third heatwaves. According to AEMET, July’s daily maximum temperatures averaged 3.2 °C above normal levels. Extreme peaks hit Pamplona, where temperatures exceeded the historical norm by 6.5 °C, and Logroño, which recorded a 5.2 °C upward deviation. Nighttime temperatures offered little relief, with minimums averaging 1.9 °C above typical values. Zaragoza experienced overnight lows nearly 4 °C higher than normal, while Lleida saw minimum temperatures rise by 3.7 °C.
AEMET spokesperson Rubén del Campo attributed the persistent extremes to human-induced climate change. Del Campo stated that global warming continues to drive temperature increases across both the atmosphere and the surrounding seas and oceans, raising the intensity of extreme weather events across the country.
Public Health Impact and Emergency Warnings
The severity of the July heatwaves triggered widespread public health alerts. On July 5, the Spanish Ministry of Health placed approximately 46 million residents—virtually the entire population of the country—under some level of health alert due to high temperatures.
The extreme conditions formed part of a broader, prolonged warm spell. Spain recorded 49 days of above-average temperatures between June 6 and July 24, interrupted only by brief cooler intervals on June 4-5 and around July 25. This followed an earlier warm spell lasting from May 19 to June 3, resulting in nearly two continuous months without a sustained drop in temperature.
Widespread Historical Records Broken in July
Weather stations nationwide logged hundreds of new extremes throughout the month. Between July 1 and July 30, Spain registered 141 maximum temperature records—comprising 84 monthly and 57 absolute records—alongside 182 minimum temperature records, including 103 monthly and 79 absolute highs. The provinces of Huesca, Barcelona, and Navarre recorded the highest concentration of these thresholds, particularly during the early July heatwave.
Observatories captured extreme individual readings in the final week of the month. Sant Julià de Vilatorta in Barcelona reached a maximum of 42.6 °C, Bossòst in Lleida hit 40.1 °C on July 29, and Fuencaliente in Santa Cruz de Tenerife recorded 39.9 °C on July 30. Elevated overnight lows were equally pronounced; Portocolom in the Balearic Islands did not drop below 28.6 °C, and Llucmajor remained above 27.7 °C on July 25. Even the Cantabrian coast, unaccustomed to such heat, exceeded 40 °C across multiple stations and established new historical benchmarks.
The highest temperature of the month overall reached 44.8 °C in Carcaixent, Valencia, on July 7. Meanwhile, El Cebollar in the Huesca Pyrenees accumulated 28 days of extreme heat, marking the longest continuous stretch of high temperatures in the country. Among coastal observation posts, Capdepera in the Balearics recorded 30 nights with abnormally warm minimums.
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