The severe high temperatures recorded this summer have had a serious impact on the health of residents across Alicante. Figures from the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) show that the province registered its highest number of deaths attributable to excessive heat in the last decade during July.
Throughout the month, 127 heat-related deaths were recorded in Alicante, marking a 27 per cent rise compared to the 100 deaths registered in July last year. This latest figure is also double the historical average for the month over the previous decade, which previously stood at just over 53 deaths.
Historical data highlights a growing impact of extreme heat on public health within the province. Between 2016 and 2021, July figures generally remained below 40 cases, with the exception of 2019 when 80 deaths were recorded. However, the last five years have seen a higher threshold established, with 69 deaths in 2022, 80 in 2023, and 67 in 2024, before climbing above 100 in both 2025 and 2026.
Nationwide, 2,026 heat-related deaths were recorded in July, which represents an increase of almost 91 per cent compared to the same month last year. The Valencian Community ranks among the regions with the highest number of fatalities, trailing only Catalonia with 544 deaths and Andalusia with 262.
MoMo estimates indicate that this is the second highest national total for July since monitoring began in 2015, beaten only by July 2022 when 2,217 deaths were attributed to the heat. Of those who died nationally last month, 1,208 were women and 817 were men. The vast majority, totalling 1,944 individuals, were over the age of 65, with 1,249 of those aged over 85.
Since the activation of the 2026 Heat Plan and the start of MoMo system tracking for the season, an estimated 3,158 people have died from heat-related causes across the country. This includes 101 deaths recorded from 22nd May onwards, 1,031 deaths in June, and the 2,026 deaths registered in July.
