Spain has experienced its hottest June days in 76 years, according to preliminary data released on Thursday by the national meteorological agency AEMET. The agency reported that on Tuesday, the average temperature across mainland Spain was 7.1 degrees Celsius higher than normal, marking the hottest June day since records began in 1950. Monday was the second hottest June day, while Sunday ranked eighth.

Although temperatures slightly decreased on Thursday, conditions remained extremely hot on Wednesday, prompting red alerts in northern regions due to severe heat risks. At Bilbao Airport, temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the first time this has occurred three times in one year. In Cantabria, northern Spain, a record high of 43.7 degrees Celsius was recorded.

Meteorologists attributed the heatwave to a persistent “heat dome” over Western Europe and hot, dry air moving north from the Sahara Desert. Preliminary estimates suggest at least 212 people died from heat-related causes between Sunday and Wednesday.