Spain's record June heat wave blamed for over 1,000 heat-related deaths

Spain saw more than 1,000 heat-related deaths in June, making it the deadliest June since records began in 2015 after an extraordinary month of extreme temperatures, according to excess mortality data released Wednesday.

The Health Ministry's daily mortality monitoring system attributed 1,028 deaths to high temperatures in June, surpassing the previous June record of 1,000 deaths set in 2017.

The figures are based on excess mortality estimates that compare observed deaths with expected mortality during periods of extreme heat rather than direct medical certification of heat as the cause of death.

Older people accounted for nearly all of the fatalities. Of the deaths attributed to heat, 1,022 were among people age 65 and older, including 720 among those 85 and above.

One death was recorded in a person younger than 15.

The highest death tolls were concentrated in Spain's Mediterranean and northern regions, where populations are generally less accustomed to prolonged extreme heat than in the country's hotter south. Catalonia saw 218 heat-related deaths, followed by the Basque Country with 147.

The spike in deaths began around June 21, at the start of a record-breaking heat wave, and remained elevated until the end of the month.

This was Spain's second-warmest June since records began in 1961, according to weather agency AEMET.

The agency said average temperatures were 3.2C (5.8F) above the 1991-2020 average, with only June 2025 being warmer.

AEMET said the 13 warmest Junes since 1961 have all occurred in the 21st century, underscoring a long-term warming trend, generally attributed to global warming.

Despite setting a June record, the month was not Spain's deadliest for heat overall. The mortality monitoring system attributed 2,217 deaths to heat-related causes in July 2022 and 2,184 last August.

The respite from last week's extreme temperatures may be brief, as AEMET warned that very warm air masses are expected to move over Spain in the coming days and said another heat wave could begin this weekend, bringing another period of exceptionally high daytime and nighttime temperatures.