Spain just experienced the hottest April in its history and summer hasn’t even begun.

Spain’s April was officially the hottest since records began, with temperatures in many parts of the country reaching levels more typical of early summer. Spain’s official meteorological agency AEMET, the average temperature across mainland Spain reached 15.1°C in April 2026, breaking the previous record set only three years ago.

This year, spring was almost non-existent for many people in the United States.

Instead, a large part of Spain has spent the majority of April suffering from unusually intense heat and repeated temperature records. There are also signs of increasing drought, just weeks ahead of the summer.

Meteorologists claim that the figures show extreme weather events becoming more common and less rare in Spain.

Spain saw temperatures close to 33°C in April

During the month of August, the heat was felt in almost all parts of the country.

According to AEMET, temperatures remained around 3.2°C above the seasonal average for much of April compared with the 1991 to 2020 climate reference period.

Two episodes in particular dominated the month.

From April 3 until April 11, the first heat wave lasted. The second, lasting from April 15 to the end of April, was a long one. Between April 18 and April 22, temperatures in some parts of Spain were approaching 5°C above normal for that time of year.

The heat was only interrupted by a short cooler spell that lasted between April 12th and April 14th.

Many cities experienced temperatures that felt closer to mid-June rather than midspring.

In Santander, on Spain’s normally milder northern coast, temperatures climbed to 32.8°C on April 6. Seville came close to 33°C a few days later, while Tenerife South reached 32.9°C.

Numerous weather stations across Spain set absolute April heat records.

AEMET revealed that six days in April were the hottest on record for these specific dates nationwide since 1950.

The dates were April 10, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.

Spain has already had twelve record-breaking days since the start of 2026. According to AEMET under stable climate conditions only five of these records are expected in a year.

This statistic is one of the most obvious signs of how quickly temperatures are changing in the United States.

Spain’s climate swings between extreme drought and extreme rain

Scientists are not only concerned about the heat. April was also a very dry month across most of the mainland Spain.

The average rainfall across the peninsula was only 36.8 millimetres, or 58 percent of the normal monthly levels.

Galicia and Catalonia, as well as parts of Cantabrian Coast, recorded some of the worst rain shortages.

The fact that conditions were so different only a few month ago is even more shocking.

In Spain, January and February saw some of the wettest weather in decades. Many regions experienced unusually heavy rains.

Meteorologists have said that the pattern of long, dry periods followed by intense rains is becoming more consistent with what climate scientists had predicted for southern Europe.

The precipitation patterns are becoming less predictable and more extreme.

This increases the risk of sudden flooding and drought.

The Ministry of Ecological Transition in Spain says that this instability is consistent with the current climate change forecasts for Spain.

As the heatwaves continue to intensify, they are expected to last longer.

Europe is warming up faster than the rest the planet

Spain’s record-breaking April comes at a time when European officials continue to warn that the continent is warming up faster than anywhere else on Earth.

Sara Aagesen is Spain’s Minister of Ecological Transition. She recently cited data from Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization that showed Europe was warming up at a rate roughly double the global average.

Spain is experiencing this reality. Heatwaves arrive earlier in the season, and warm nights are more frequent. Drought periods are also longer.

As extreme weather conditions such as torrential downpours and flash floods continue to increase in frequency, they are affecting more parts of the country.

In response to this, the Spanish Government has launched a public platform named GOTA that is designed to centralise meteorological and hydrological information.

Officials claim that the system will improve transparency in water management and help citizens understand climate-related risks.

The changes in Spain are becoming so obvious that many Spaniards don’t need any scientific or statistical reports to notice. When cities are approaching 33°C in April and spring starts feeling more like the middle of summer, the shift becomes very difficult to miss.

Many people wonder what the summer months will look like, even though it is still a few weeks away.