Else Beekman
Spain has just endured its hottest June since records began, marking the most significant positive temperature anomaly in more than a century. According to data compiled from national and centenary weather stations, June 2025 exceeded the previous records set in 2017, 2022 and 2003 by more than 1°C.
The country’s average anomaly surpassed +3°C compared to normal, cementing this June as not only the warmest but also the most anomalous in at least 105 years of data.
A persistent, relentless heatwave
While temperatures did not break records daily, the heat was both intense and sustained. In some regions, it felt more like the peak of summer than early season warmth.
Lleida stood out with an extraordinary anomaly of +4.9°C—higher than the average July or August temperature for the area. Other long-running stations, including Molina de Aragón, Zaragoza Airport and Albacete Air Base, also reported anomalies above +4°C.
Daytime maximums were frequently extreme. Granada Airport and Albacete Air Base saw highs more than 5.5°C above normal. Nights brought little relief, with minimum temperatures in Lleida and Barcelona exceeding their usual values by over 4°C.
Even in the Canary Islands, which remained the ‘coolest’ part of the country, temperatures still ran between 0.5°C and 1°C above average.
Historic extremes across Spain
In Tarragona, the weather station at Tortosa—where records date back more than a century—saw an unprecedented run of scorching days this June, logging over four days with temperatures topping 39 °C for the first time. Strikingly, almost all of these extreme events have occurred only in recent years. Out of nine occasions when Tortosa has passed this threshold, eight have happened since 2019, while the only earlier instance was recorded in 2003.
Long-running observatories such as Madrid-Retiro and Barcelona-Fabra, which have maintained continuous measurements since the 1920s, also confirmed that this June registered the most pronounced temperature anomaly in their history.
As the month drew to a close, a particularly severe heatwave swept across the country, driving temperatures to exceptional levels. In El Granado, a provisional reading of 46 °C established what could become Spain’s new national June record, surpassing the previous benchmark set in Seville. Meanwhile, in Portugal, the thermometer climbed even higher to 46.6 °C, marking the hottest June day ever documented on the Iberian Peninsula.
Hottest month June was also dry and stormy
Despite the oppressive heat, June brought little widespread rainfall. Though thunderstorms occurred in some areas, their localised nature meant most of the country remained dry.
In the northwest, rainfall deficits ranged from 60% to 100% below normal levels, with provinces like Ourense especially affected. Conversely, parts of central and eastern Castilla y León, the upper Ebro, the eastern Cantabrian coast and sections of the Central, Iberian and Baetic systems saw more substantial precipitation linked to storms.
Overall, June 2025 will be remembered not only as Spain’s hottest June but also as a striking example of the country’s rapidly shifting climate patterns.
Source: El Tiempo
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