Spain recorded 1,029 excess deaths attributable to heat in June, according to the Health Ministry’s Daily Mortality Monitoring System, known as MoMo. The figure makes June 2026 Spain’s second-hottest June on record, with average temperatures 3.2 degrees Celsius above normal, according to the state weather agency AEMET. Only June 2025 was hotter.
The toll is part of a wider pattern across Europe, where a five-day heatwave pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in several areas. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the heatwave has caused more than 1,300 excess deaths across Europe since June 21. France’s public health agency separately reported around 1,000 excess deaths tied to a heatwave that began June 20.
Spain’s Death Toll Follows Record May Heat
Spain also recorded 101 heat-related deaths in May, the highest total for that month since records began in 2015. MoMo estimates excess deaths by comparing observed mortality against expected mortality and does not rely on death certificates that explicitly cite heatstroke as a cause.
Health officials say heat often compounds existing conditions rather than causing a single, easily identifiable event. People over 75 face the greatest risk, along with babies, young children, pregnant women, people with chronic illness and those living alone. Officials cautioned the MoMo figures could still be revised upward as death registrations continue to arrive.
Elsewhere in Europe, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius over the same period in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, disrupting transport services in several European countries. The health warnings arrive during Spain’s peak summer tourist season, when millions of international visitors travel to its coastal regions each year.
Drownings Add to the Toll Across Europe
Rising temperatures have also driven a surge in drowning deaths, as people across the continent sought relief in rivers, lakes and the sea. France recorded around 40 drowning deaths in recent days, according to the French prime minister. Germany’s Life Saving Association reported a spike in fatal bathing accidents during the same period, with rescuers warning that people often underestimate the risks of open water.
In Spain, at least 13 drowning deaths were reported over a single weekend in mid-June, most of them at beaches, with several victims over the age of 70. Spain’s Red Cross has urged swimmers to use supervised bathing areas and avoid entering the water abruptly after prolonged sun exposure. The organisation said sudden temperature changes after sun exposure pose a greater risk than the effect traditionally described in Spain as a “corte de digestión.”
