article_detail

Spain has just experienced its hottest June days since at least 1950, according to provisional figures released by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

 

The weather agency said Monday June 22 and Tuesday June 23 were the warmest days ever recorded in Spain for the month of June in more than seven decades of records, as an intense early summer heatwave gripped much of the country.

 

José Ángel Núñez, Aemet's spokesperson, explained that the average temperature anomaly across mainland Spain reached +7.1°C on both days, underlining just how exceptional the conditions were.

 

According to Mr Núñez, the latest heatwave has pushed several days into the record books.

 

"Three days from this heatwave are among the ten warmest in the entire historical series for the month of June," he said.

 

Looking at temperature records across the whole year rather than just June, he added that "June 23 would provisionally be the twenty-first warmest day, behind 20 days in July and August, all from 2012 onwards, except for July 20, 1995."

 

The extreme temperatures weren’t limited to daylight hours, and the expert explained that the nights of June 22 and 23 were also the warmest June nights ever recorded in Spain.

 

One of the most remarkable records was set in Tama, Cantabria, where temperatures reached 43.7°C on June 23, establishing a new all-time heat record for the region.

 

Bilbao Airport also saw unusually high temperatures. Records there dating back to 1947 show that temperatures of 40°C or above were relatively rare in the past. However, that threshold has already been reached twice this year alone, continuing a trend that meteorologists say has become increasingly common in recent decades.

 

Historical data compiled by Aemet shows a clear increase in heatwave activity across Spain. Since 1975, there have been 78 heatwaves lasting a total of 458 days. Of those, 329 days occurred between 2001 and 2025, compared with 129 days before 2000.

 

The agency's figures also show that the average number of heatwave days has risen from around three per year during the late 1970s and early 1980s to around 22 per year over the last decade.

 

Aemet said the data points to heatwaves becoming more frequent, affecting larger areas of the country and growing increasingly intense over time.

 

For more weather news go to our Weather & Climate page or follow the Spain Weather Watch Facebook group for regular updates

 

Images: Freepik