July 2026 was the hottest July in Catalonia since records began in 1950, with temperatures across the region significantly above average and rainfall nearly absent, the Catalan Meteorological Service (Meteocat) has reported.
The month saw three prolonged heat episodes with minimal relief, leading to exceptional temperature records across the Network of Automatic Meteorological Stations (XEMA), Meteocat said in a statement.
Temperatures well above average
At 171 of XEMA’s 184 thermometer-equipped stations, temperatures were at least 3°C above the 1991–2020 reference average, a threshold used to classify a month as very hot. In parts of Berguedà, Osona, Ripollès and Val d’Aran, anomalies exceeded 5°C.
The Fabra Observatory in Barcelona recorded its hottest July in 112 years of data, with temperatures more than 4°C above average. The Ebre Observatory also recorded its highest average July temperature since its records began in 1905.
Nights remain dangerously warm
A defining feature of the heatwave was the persistence of high nighttime temperatures, known as torrid nights, when temperatures do not fall below 25°C.
The persistence of three heat episodes during the month, with very few days of respite between them, together with an almost general lack of rainfall, has led to numerous exceptional records across the Network of Automatic Meteorological Stations (XEMA).
Barcelona-Can Bruixa station recorded 26 torrid nights in July alone, surpassing the previous July record of 21 set in 2006. Since the start of summer, the station has already matched the 36 torrid nights recorded over the entire summer of 2025.
Extreme heat and drought across the region
By 31 July, the number of days on which at least one XEMA station recorded a maximum temperature of 40°C or higher was already close to the 2025 annual record of 16. In Lleida, temperatures reached 40°C or higher on 11 days by the end of July, compared to eight days in the whole of 2025.
Rainfall was exceptionally scarce. Nearly half of XEMA’s stations recorded less than 1mm of rain during July, and almost half of those with over 20 years of data registered their driest July on record.
The deficit was most severe in the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, where summer is normally the wettest season due to afternoon thunderstorms. The lack of storm activity left rainfall well below normal.
Record-breaking dry spells
Dry spells that began as early as mid-May reached record lengths. At Algerri in Noguera, the dry spell reached 88 consecutive days without at least 1mm of rainfall by 31 July, the longest such period recorded at that station.
June 2026 was also the hottest June on record in Barcelona, with the Can Fabra Observatory reporting an average temperature of 26°C, exceeding the previous record of 25.6°C set in 2003.
On 8 July, Barcelona recorded a provisional high of 40.7°C at the Fabra Observatory, the highest in 112 years, breaking the previous record of 40°C set in 2024. El Prat airport reached 37.7°C, the highest since records began in 1924.
Reported by catalannews.com, Xavi Segura, France 24, The Local Spain, devdiscourse.com, france24.com, lavanguardia.com, Metrópoli, tehrantimes.com, Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya. Generalitat de Catalunya, aa.com.tr.
