Spain recorded a staggering 1,060 heat-related deaths in July 2025, marking it as one of the deadliest months from high temperatures in recent memory.
The figure represents a 57% rise compared to July 2024 and a 54.5% increase over the same month in 2023, according to data from the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo).
The sharp rise in fatalities comes as Spain endures its second major heatwave of the summer.
Much of the Iberian Peninsula remains under yellow or orange alert this week, with the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warning that extreme temperatures could last until at least Sunday.
The heat has already claimed its first known victim in August – an 85-year-old man who died of heatstroke on Monday in the city of Badajoz.
So far in 2025, a total of 3,255 deaths have been attributed to high temperatures, which is well above last year’s total of 2,534, with summer still underway.
As of Tuesday, August 5, nine autonomous communities were under official alert, with temperatures forecast to hit 42C in parts of Badajoz and Jaen.
In Madrid, the mercury is expected to reach 38C, while coastal cities like Barcelona (31C), Malaga (30C), and Valencia (33C) are set to remain slightly cooler.
According to Aemet, the extreme heat is expected to persist at least through Thursday, with high temperatures continuing across central and southern Spain.
A shift is possible by Friday, when a slight drop is forecast in the north, particularly along the Cantabrian coast.
However, forecasters caution that temperatures in the western part of the country may climb once again by the weekend, suggesting the current heatwave could stretch into mid-August.
