Spain records hottest September temperature on record — 45.7°C
The Spanish town of El Granado hit 45.7°C on Thursday, one of the highest September temperatures ever recorded in the country, as scientists link the extended summer heatwaves to human-driven climate change.
Spain's national weather agency AEMET reported that the town of El Granado, in the southern region of Andalusia, recorded 45.7°C on Thursday — one of the highest temperatures ever measured in Spain during September. The reading matched a September record of 45.7°C set in Montoro, also in Andalusia, back in 2016.
Thursday's measurement is also the highest temperature recorded in Spain since the start of 2026, after a heatwave with temperatures above 40°C swept across much of the country's south and west this week.
Hottest period on record
AEMET said the period from January to August was the hottest since records began, with a notable gap compared to the next four warmest such periods, all of which occurred within the last four years. The agency described this as clear evidence that warming in Spain is accelerating. AEMET had previously reported that July was one of the hottest months in Spain's history.
Since June 1, Spain's public health institute has recorded nearly 4,500 heat-related deaths. Drought and low river water levels have also disrupted economic activity, while temperature records have been broken elsewhere across Europe as well.
Spain has urged the European Commission to make climate adaptation a top priority for economic and security policy, arguing that Europe can no longer rely on reactive measures as extreme weather events grow more frequent and costly.
In June, temperature records were also set in France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. In July, the Netherlands saw 911 more deaths than expected over a two-week period.
