Barcelona Records 59 Torrid Nights in Hottest Summer on

Barcelona Records 59 Torrid Nights in Hottest Summer on Record

Catalonia's 2026 meteorological summer was the hottest since records began, with temperatures consistently above average and unprecedented night heat in Barcelona.

Laia Serra · 3 Sep 2026 · 2 min read

Barcelona has endured 59 torrid nights, temperatures above 25°C, between June and August 2026, a record high for the city, according to data from the Can Bruixa meteorological station in Les Corts. This summer marks the hottest on record across Catalonia, with average temperatures exceeding the 1991–2020 baseline by more than 3°C in over 80% of the territory, the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat) confirmed.

The summer of 2026 saw 20 days where temperatures reached or surpassed 40°C at various Meteocat stations, surpassing the previous record of 16 days set in 2025 and 2001. Lleida recorded 15 days above 40°C, while Vinebre in the Ribera d’Ebre reached a peak of 44.1°C on 8 July, the highest temperature recorded in Catalonia this summer. On that day, areas across Terres de l’Ebre, Priorat, and Alt Empordà also saw temperatures exceed 42°C.

Nighttime Heat Reaches Unprecedented Levels

The persistence of high nighttime temperatures has been particularly striking. In central Barcelona, the Raval observation point recorded 54 torrid nights, while Can Bruixa logged 59, shattering the previous record of 36 such nights in the city’s old town. Badalona recorded 31 torrid nights, double its earlier record. Other locations including Tarragona, Mataró, and the Riba-roja reservoir also saw record-breaking minimum temperatures.

The maximum temperature, during the day, has been the main contributor to this very warm character of the summer, although the minimum night temperature has also been persistently high.

Meteocat climatology experts noted that the extreme heat was not isolated to specific regions but was widespread, affecting nearly the entire territory. In inland areas such as the Western Pyrenees and the Vic plain, temperature anomalies exceeded +4.0°C.

Wet Spots in a Dry Season

Summer 2026 was largely dry or very dry across Catalonia, with some exceptions. In Camp de Tarragona, intense rainfall on 22 and 24 August led to localised totals exceeding the seasonal average. However, regions including Segrià, Montsià, Baix Ebre, and Pla d’Urgell received less than 10 mm of rain. Mollerussa in Lleida remains in a prolonged dry spell, with 111 consecutive days without significant rainfall.

Tropical nights, when temperatures remain above 20°C, were also widespread. Nearly 85% of Meteocat stations recorded at least one, with Barcelona’s Raval district leading at 85 tropical nights. This is just three short of the record set in 2025. Since 12 June, the Catalan capital has not recorded a single day where temperatures dropped below 20°C.

Reported by liniaxarxa.cat, en.ara.cat, elnacional.cat, larazon.es, rtve.es, diaricatalunya.cat, elDiario.es Catalunya, Línia Xarxa.