The Region of Murcia experienced its hottest summer in at least 86 years in 2026, according to the latest climatological assessment from Spain's State Meteorological Agency.

The regional average temperature reached 26.8°C, which was 2.3°C above the normal value for the summer period and exceeded the previous record set in 2025.

The figures come as AEMET also confirms that Spain as a whole experienced its hottest summer in at least 157 years.

Murcia Records Its Hottest Summer Since at Least 1941

AEMET's regional assessment places summer 2026 at the top of the temperature record for Murcia dating back at least to 1941.

The 26.8°C regional mean was 2.3°C above the 1991-2020 reference average.

The previous regional record had been set only one year earlier, in summer 2025.

According to AEMET's regional delegate in Murcia, Juan Esteban Palenzuela, the available data allow the 2026 summer to be identified with considerable confidence as the warmest since 1941, while older homogeneous records would be needed to establish whether the record extends further back.

Heat Persisted Through Most of the Summer

The unusual warmth was not confined to a few individual heatwaves.

Maximum temperatures remained above their normal values on 83 of the 92 days making up June, July and August.

Minimum temperatures were also above normal on 82 days.

The persistence of both daytime and overnight heat was a defining feature of the season.

July Was the Hottest Month

July was the warmest month in the regional historical record.

June ranked as the second warmest, while August was the third warmest August in the available series.

The sequence meant that all three months contributed to an exceptionally warm summer rather than the result being driven by a single short-lived episode.

44.7°C Recorded at Caravaca de la Cruz

The highest temperature recorded in the Region during the summer was 44.7°C at Caravaca de la Cruz on July 23.

The same heat episode produced exceptionally high temperatures at several other locations in Murcia.

AEMET's national summary, which uses its network of main stations, separately lists 44.2°C at Murcia on July 23 and 43.9°C at Alcantarilla on August 15.

The different figures reflect the different station networks and geographical scopes used in the two assessments.

Nights Stayed Hot

The summer was also notable for persistent overnight heat.

The Murcia observatory recorded 79 tropical nights, defined as nights when the minimum temperature remains at or above 20°C.

San Javier recorded 74 tropical nights, while Alcantarilla registered 72.

Torrid nights, when the minimum stays above 25°C, were also recorded repeatedly.

Murcia and San Javier each recorded 18 such nights, while Alcantarilla recorded 10.

Mediterranean Coast Felt the Heat Overnight

The frequency of tropical and torrid nights shows how the exceptional warmth extended beyond daytime temperatures.

For residents, the combination of high daytime temperatures and repeated warm nights can produce prolonged periods with limited overnight cooling.

The regional figures demonstrate that the summer's heat was persistent across both inland and coastal parts of Murcia.

A Dry Summer With Exceptional Storm Activity

Despite the heat, the summer was not completely devoid of intense weather.

Overall, Murcia recorded a dry summer, with average precipitation of 19.9 litres per square metre, equivalent to around 62% of the normal value.

At the same time, several powerful storm episodes occurred, particularly during August.

Lightning Record

AEMET recorded 29 storm days across the summer and 6,471 lightning strikes in the Region.

That was the highest number of lightning discharges in the available historical series.

August 10 was particularly active, with 3,610 lightning strikes recorded in a single day.

The concentration of storm activity demonstrates that a dry summer overall can still include short periods of intense thunderstorms.

Rainfall Was Unevenly Distributed

The heaviest rainfall during the summer was concentrated in parts of the northwestern and Altiplano areas of the Region.

Some weather stations in those areas recorded more than 80 litres per square metre during the three-month period.

The regional average remained well below normal because rainfall was unevenly distributed and much of the Region received considerably less precipitation.

Spain Also Broke a Major Heat Record

The Murcia figures form part of a much wider national pattern.

AEMET says summer 2026 was the warmest summer in Spain's official series, which begins in 1961.

The mean temperature in mainland Spain was 24.5°C, 2.4°C above the 1991-2020 reference average.

The previous national record, set in 2025, was exceeded by 0.3°C.

AEMET also reconstructed a longer climate series reaching back to 1869 and concluded that summer 2026 was the warmest in at least 157 years.

Five Heatwaves During 2026

The national summer was characterised by an unusually large number of heatwaves.

Four occurred during the summer period itself, with three affecting mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands and one affecting the Canary Islands.

A further heatwave took place from September 2 to 7.

Across mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, AEMET counted 61 days under heatwave conditions during 2026 up to its September assessment.

September Also Stayed Hot

The exceptional conditions did not end with August.

AEMET recorded another heatwave from September 2 to 7, extending the period of summer-like temperatures into September.

The agency described 2026 as a year in which conditions more typical of summer extended beyond the conventional June-to-August season.

A Warm Autumn Expected

Looking ahead, AEMET currently gives the Region of Murcia a high probability of temperatures remaining above normal during the autumn.

For September, October and November, the probability of above-average temperatures in Murcia is close to 70%.

The precipitation outlook is less certain but points towards a greater possibility of wetter-than-normal conditions.

AEMET stresses that seasonal forecasts cannot determine whether particular episodes of heavy rain or DANA events will occur.

Warm Mediterranean Sea Adds Moisture

Palenzuela has also pointed to the unusually high temperature of the Mediterranean Sea as one factor that could influence autumn conditions.

A warmer sea surface can provide additional energy and moisture to the atmosphere when the appropriate weather patterns develop.

That can contribute to intense rainfall, although it does not by itself predict a specific storm or DANA.

Murcia at the Centre of Spain's Heat

The Region of Murcia was repeatedly among the areas recording the highest temperatures in Spain during the summer.

The regional record of 44.7°C at Caravaca de la Cruz was part of a sequence of extreme temperatures that affected large parts of southeastern Spain.

The national AEMET summary also identifies Murcia among the locations with the highest maximum temperatures recorded at its main stations during the summer.

A Summer of Persistent Heat

The 2026 summer in Murcia was therefore notable not simply for isolated extreme readings but for the duration of the heat.

With temperatures above normal on more than 80 days for both maximum and minimum temperatures, unusually frequent tropical nights and a regional mean temperature of 26.8°C, the season set a new regional benchmark.

At the same time, storm activity produced a record number of lightning strikes despite the overall dry character of the summer.

What the Figures Mean

The regional data show that Murcia's summer was exceptional by its own historical standards, while AEMET's national reconstruction places Spain's summer 2026 at the warmest level in at least 157 years.

Those are two different records and should be reported separately.

For Murcia, the appropriate regional comparison is at least 86 years based on the available homogeneous record.

For Spain, the longer reconstructed series reaches back to 1869.

Summer Record Followed by a Warm Autumn

Murcia is now moving into autumn after a summer that set a regional temperature record and contributed to Spain's broader national heat record.

The latest outlook suggests that above-normal temperatures are likely to continue during the first part of the new season, while the rainfall outlook remains less certain.

The 2026 summer has ended, but according to AEMET, the unusually warm conditions are not expected to disappear immediately.