Spain's state meteorological agency, AEMET, has declared that the 16-day heatwave experienced this month was the most intense on record. Provisional readings for the period from 3 to 18 August showed a maximum temperature anomaly 4.6°C higher than the heatwave threshold, surpassing the previous record set in 2022 by 0.1°C.
The extreme heat has exacerbated tinderbox conditions, fuelling wildfires that continue to ravage parts of northern and western Spain. More than 1,100 deaths have been linked to the heatwave, according to an estimate released by the Carlos III Health Institute on Tuesday.
AEMET noted that a 10-day period within the heatwave, from 8 to 17 August, was the hottest consecutive 10-day stretch recorded in Spain since at least 1950. Since records began in 1975, Spain has registered 77 heatwaves, with six exceeding the threshold by 4°C or more—five of those since 2019.
Scientists attribute the increasing intensity and frequency of heatwaves to the climate crisis. AEMET stated, “It is a scientific fact that current summers are hotter than in previous decades. Each summer is not always going to be hotter than the previous one, but there is a clear trend towards much more extreme summers. What is key is adapting to, and mitigating, climate change.”
