More than 5,000 deaths in Spain were estimated to be attributable to high temperatures between June and August, the highest figure for those three months since the country began systematically monitoring heat-related mortality in 2015.

Data from Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute attributed 5,111 deaths to heat during the period, including 937 in June, 2,025 in July and 2,149 in August, according to figures reported on Tuesday.

The previous record for the same three-month period was 4,652 deaths in 2022. The figure was 3,651 in 2025 and 1,977 in 2024, according to the data cited by AFP.

The figures are estimates rather than death certificates explicitly identifying heat as the cause. Spain’s MoMo system compares observed mortality with expected deaths based on historical patterns and estimates the number attributable to excess or deficient temperatures. The system is updated daily and warns that recent figures can change as additional deaths are reported.

Separate figures published by Reuters on Tuesday put the estimated heat-attributable death toll at 5,234 between 15 May and 31 August, reflecting the longer period covered by the national heat-health monitoring plan. Reuters reported that 2,149 deaths were attributed to heat in August alone.

Older people were particularly affected. Reuters reported that 2,064 of the August deaths involved people aged over 65, including 1,285 aged over 85. Extreme heat can cause heatstroke and worsen cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, with older people among those at greatest risk.

The mortality figures came after an exceptionally hot July. Spain’s national meteorological agency, AEMET, said July 2026 was tied with July 2022 as the hottest month in its records, with an average temperature of 25.7°C across mainland Spain — 2.6°C above the 1991–2020 reference average. It was also the driest July since records began in 1961.

Temperatures reached 44.2°C in Murcia on 23 July, while Granada airport recorded 43.9°C a day earlier, according to AEMET. The agency said temperatures were exceptionally high for much of the month, with some stations recording their highest July average temperatures on record.

Another spell of unusually hot weather is expected to affect Spain from Thursday into the weekend, with temperatures forecast to exceed 35°C across much of the interior and tropical nights expected in many areas, Reuters reported, citing AEMET.