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Spain is barely a week into July and the heat is already killing people. A second heatwave officially began on Sunday July 6, with fourteen regions now under weather warnings and temperatures forecast to exceed 42 degrees across large parts of the country. For anyone living here, particularly older residents, the message from health authorities is simple: take this seriously.

 

The human cost is already accumulating. Data published Sunday by the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) of the Carlos III Health Institute shows 153 deaths attributable to high temperatures in just the first days of July. That comes hard on the heels of June, which proved to be the deadliest month for heat-related deaths in Spain's recorded history, with close to 1,000 lives lost as temperatures shattered records going back 75 years.

 

It is worth understanding what these figures actually represent. MoMo does not count only deaths directly caused by heatstroke. It captures all deaths that can be linked to the worsening of existing conditions, most commonly heart, lung or kidney problems, brought on by extreme heat. The figures are updated

continuously and are not considered finalised for several weeks, so they should be read as a direction of travel. The direction right now is not encouraging.

 

For July so far, Catalonia leads the regional count with 57 deaths, followed by Andalucía with 24 and the Basque Country with 18. In June, the worst affected regions were the Basque Country with 153 deaths and Catalonia with 127, followed by Madrid at 93, Castile and León at 90, Galicia at 88 and Andalucía at 73. The Valencian Community recorded 62, Murcia just three. At the other end of the scale, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla all recorded zero heat-related deaths in June.

 

On Saturday, temperatures exceeded 42 degrees in parts of Badajoz, Huelva, Sevilla and Pontevedra. The highest reading of the day was 43.5 degrees in Badajoz city. By Sunday morning, Cardeña in Córdoba province had already reached 35.3 degrees before 10.00am, well before the day's peak heat had arrived. The heatwave is continuing, with no meaningful relief in sight for now.

 

Seven regions are currently at orange alert level, signifying significant danger: Andalucía, Aragon, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia and Madrid. A further seven are on yellow. The health risk map shows red across much of the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the northwest, northeast and inland areas of the Levante.

 

The Ministry of Health is urging everyone to drink water regularly, stay cool and avoid going outside during the hottest hours. It has specifically flagged the need to look after older people, children under four, pregnant women, those with chronic illnesses and anyone working outdoors. If you are in any of those groups, or have someone close to you who is, now is the time to act on that advice.