The 16-day heatwave that Spain experienced this month is "the most intense ever recorded."

This was announced by the country's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), AFP reported.

Preliminary data for the heatwave from August 3 to 18 exceeded the previous record set in July 2022 and showed an average temperature 4.6°C higher than previous similar events, the agency said in X.

The August heatwave worsened conditions in Spain, which fueled forest fires that continue to ravage parts of the north and west of the country.

More than 1,100 deaths in Spain are linked to the heatwave, according to an estimate by the Carlos III Health Institute. .

Since it began recording data in 1975, AEMET has registered 77 heat waves in Spain, six of which were 4°C or more above the average temperature — five of them since 2019.

Scientists say climate change is leading to longer, more intense, and more frequent heat waves around the world.

AEMET said the 10-day period of the latest heatwave, covering August 8 to 17, was the hottest 10-day sequence recorded in Spain "since at least 1950."

The agency said that "it is a scientific fact that current summers are hotter than those in previous decades."

"Not every summer will be hotter than the previous one, but there is a clear trend towards much more extreme summers. It is essential that we adapt to climate change and mitigate it," it added. | BGNES