Spain breaks its June heat record twice

Published on 24/06/2026 - 16:36 GMT+2•Updated 16:45

The heatwave affecting Spain and much of Europe is delivering historic temperature readings in different parts of the country. On Tuesday, Cantabria reached 43.7 degrees in the municipality of Tama, the highest temperature ever recorded in the region in any month of the year, while large areas of the north remain under the highest heat alerts, according to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).

The agency reported on Wednesday that this Monday and Tuesday (22 and 23 June) were the two warmest June days since at least 1950 in mainland Spain. The average daily temperature reached 28.08 degrees on Monday and 28.17 degrees on Tuesday, surpassing the previous record of 28.01 degrees recorded on 30 June 2025.

"During this heatwave, three days have ranked among the ten hottest in the historical record for the month of June," Aemet noted.

Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday were also more than seven degrees above normal for this time of year, in a heat episode that has arrived unusually early and is affecting regions traditionally less exposed to extreme heat.

Night-time temperatures have also broken records. The average minimum temperature reached 20.14 degrees on Monday and 19.81 degrees on Tuesday, the highest values for June since records began in Spain. These so-called 'tropical nights' make it harder to sleep and can pose a threat to public health.

The situation has led to the highest heat alerts being activated in parts of Cantabria and the Basque Country, something unusual in northern regions of the peninsula that normally escape the most severe bouts of high temperatures.

The current heatwave is bringing temperatures between five and ten degrees above normal across much of the country.

The heatwave has already left a historic mark on Aemet's records. According to data from its network of 828 weather stations, 13 records for maximum daytime temperatures for this time of year and 16 for minimum night-time temperatures have been broken, spread across 18 provinces throughout Spain.