The summer of 2026 continues to set extreme temperatures, breaking historic heat records in Barcelona, Catalonia, and much of Europe. This July has solidified as the hottest in the historical series of the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona (RACAB), with an average temperature that has exceeded the climatic average for the 1991-2020 period by 4 degrees.
The average temperature at the Fabra Observatory-RACAB during July was 28.1 ºC (provisional value), surpassing the previous record from July 2006 (27.1 ºC) by approximately 1 ºC. This reading makes it the second warmest month of all recorded since 1914, surpassed only by August 2003 (28.5 ºC).
July 2026 has also set new records in Barcelona, such as the absolute maximum temperature of 40.9 ºC on July 8th. Furthermore, an unprecedented number of days with maximums above 30 degrees has been recorded, exceeding this threshold daily for all 31 days of the month.
The first two months of the meteorological summer, June and July, have also been record-breaking in Barcelona, with an average temperature of 26.7 ºC, surpassing the 2003 record (25.9 ºC). However, the summer of 2003 still holds the record for the hottest month experienced in the city.
Unlike at the Fabra Observatory, in much of Catalonia the hottest summer recorded to date was in 2022, equaling or surpassing that of 2003. Only in sectors of the central coast and pre-coast was the summer of 2002 less warm than that of 2003.
Forecasts for the beginning of August indicate a continuation of intense heat in Barcelona and Catalonia, with above-average readings. Seasonal forecast models agree in predicting a warmer-than-normal August across Europe, although with a less pronounced anomaly than in July in Catalonia. August is also expected to be normal or slightly wetter than usual in Catalonia.
