Spain Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, and Andorra
Summary
Spain experienced its hottest July on record, capping an unprecedented three-month period that also set an all-time regional temperature record. Severe heatwaves pushing temperatures toward 45°C stoked historic wildfires, including a massive blaze across Ávila and Madrid that burned tens of thousands of hectares. The extreme heat coincides with a moderate El Niño forecast to peak at Very Strong in Oct-Dec, with relentless warmth expected to persist into autumn.
This month in numbers
July 2026 recorded an average temperature of 25.88°C, which sits 3.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This makes it the warmest July in 87 years of record-keeping, eclipsing all previous monthly records for Spain. The 3-month May–July period also reached 22.17°C (+3.9°C anomaly), marking the 1st warmest May–July season ever recorded in the country. Globally, July land temperatures ranked as the 3rd warmest on record (+1.6°C anomaly), underscoring how Spain's extreme summer aligns with a globally overheated atmosphere.
What changed
Over the May–July season, Spain sustained extraordinary thermal anomalies, placing 3rd highest among 232 countries and territories tracked globally. In the 1-month anomaly rankings for July, Spain placed 8th worldwide and 3rd within Europe, where 6 of the top 10 warmest regions on Earth were concentrated across European nations. Sitting 1.63°C above the wider European group average, Spain's intense summer heat continues a steep long-term warming trend of +1.73°C above baseline, following 2025, which was the country's 3rd warmest full year on record. More details on continental patterns are available on our Europe map at Europe.
What’s driving change?
The primary driver behind July's record heat was a series of stalled high-pressure systems, known as , that trapped hot North African air over the Iberian Peninsula. kept these atmospheric ridges locked in place, while worsened daytime heating as parched ground lost its ability to cool through evaporation. All of Spain's 1 wildfire tracked in our satellite system this year happened in the past month as extreme heat turned vegetation into volatile fuel, viewable on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker. While a moderate El Niño is actively intensifying in the tropical Pacific, historical records show ENSO has a modest, inconsistent teleconnection with Iberian summer heat, meaning local remained the main driver. Pacific ocean dynamics are tracked on our live dashboard at ENSO.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts indicate that above-average temperatures and heightened drought risks are likely to persist across the Iberian Peninsula into autumn.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Spain
Köppen Csa · TemperateSpain has a temperate climate (Köppen Csa: Mediterranean - hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 24.2°C, while January is the coldest at 6.7°C. Annual precipitation averages around 639mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly rain, with snow (water-equivalent) shown separately.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Spain
Precipitation, Sunshine, Frost and Snow are converted to standard deviations from their own average so they can share an axis with Temperature.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Spain
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Spain
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Spain
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Spain
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Csa · TemperateSpain has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±8.7°C) and a wet/dry cycle (5× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly precipitation climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: Mar (+22 mm, +34%).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Spain
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Spain changing?
Spain is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Spain?
Spain has a temperate climate (Köppen Csa: Mediterranean - hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 24.2°C, while January is the coldest at 6.7°C. Annual precipitation averages around 639mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.
Where does the climate data for Spain come from?
Climate data for Spain comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Spain climate data cover?
The Spain climate profile covers Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Spain
How often is the Spain climate update refreshed?
The Spain climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Spain climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Spain climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.