Heatwave to smother Spain as June likely to be hottest on record

Summer is beginning to take hold of much of Spain. The country’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued high temperature warnings in twelve regions for the coming days with temperatures expected to reach or exceed 40C in several parts of the country.

Although stifling temperatures are already forecast for Thursday, the worst is yet to come.

Forecasts point to a rise in temperatures over the weekend in particular, especially in the northeast and the Balearic Islands.

Zaragoza, Lleida in Catalonia and Mallorca will be some of the most affected provinces, as temperatures between 38 and 40 degrees are expected, including tropical nights that will not drop below 25 C.

In fact, the entire regions of Aragón, Catalonia and the Balearics have orange weather warnings.

Aemet forecast indicates that the hottest cities in this final stretch of June could be Palma this Wednesday (39C), Córdoba on Thursday (38C) and Friday (41C), Seville on Saturday (43C) and Sunday (44C), and Lleida and Seville next Monday (43C).

Additionally, temperatures will reach or exceed 40C over the weekend in Badajoz, Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Jaén, Madrid, Toledo, and Zaragoza.

Other parts of such as Malaga, Albacete, Valencia, and Murcia will remain on yellow alert for extreme heat, indicating a moderate but real health risk, especially for vulnerable people, such as the elderly, children, and people with chronic illnesses.

Aemet warns that the orange level poses an even higher health risk and recommends limiting sun exposure, hydrating frequently, and avoiding exercise during the peak hours of the day.

According to Spain’s System of Daily Mortality Monitoring (MoMo), from June 1st to 21st 114 people have died in Spain due to heat-related causes.

Summer has already made itself felt throughout June but this looks set to be the first official heatwave of the summer given that we’re past June 21st.

There was also a period of very high temperatures in May but in order for it to be classified as a heatwave it must affect a certain amount of the country, last for several days and temperatures must surpass a certain threshold.

This time, this looks set to happen. That’s according to Aemet’s official spokesperson Rubén del Campo, who predicts that it will almost certainly be “the first heat wave of this summer” and that it will “start on Saturday and perhaps last until the middle of next week.”

This ola de calor, as a heatwave is called in Spanish, is what’s led Aemet to state that “June 2025 will, very probably be the hottest since records began”.

The monthly temperature anomaly in mainland Spain is estimated to be around 3.7C . The highs (+4.2C) are even more extreme than the lows (+3.2°C), despite the fact that tropical nights have been a mainstay in both inland and coastal areas, aided by unprecedented Mediterranean Sea temperatures for this time of year.

This affects millions of people in Andalusia, Madrid, Aragón and Catalonia, populous regions which are among the territories experiencing the most extreme temperatures.