ClimavisoAugust 2018 heatwave: heat across much of Spain, 1–9 August 2018
1 August 2018 to 9 August 2018. Updated 26 October 2026.
AEMET records a heatwave from 31 July to 7 August 2018.
Over 9 days, 86 of Spain's 182 warning zones had an orange or red warning for heat: 254 zone-days at orange or red, 10 of them red. The day with the most zones at orange or red was 3 August, with 59 zones.
3 August was the day with the most people in zones under an orange or red warning: 18.8 million people live there (INE municipal register, 2025).
How it compares
- It is number 10 of 119 episodes since June 2018 by zone-days at orange or red.
- Among the 37 heat episodes, it is number 8.
- Until then, no heat episode in the archive had been this widespread.
Day by day
| Day | Red | Orange | Yellow | Orange or red warnings for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 1 August | — | 18 | 68 | heat |
| Thu 2 August | 1 | 47 | 72 | heat |
| Fri 3 August | 5 | 54 | 63 | heat |
| Sat 4 August | 4 | 41 | 57 | heat |
| Sun 5 August | — | 30 | 72 | heat |
| Mon 6 August | — | 28 | 108 | heat, rain |
| Tue 7 August | — | 2 | 59 | heat |
| Wed 8 August | — | 11 | 38 | storms, rain |
| Thu 9 August | — | 13 | 26 | rain, storms |
Zones with a warning each day, at their highest level that day.
The zones
And 81 more zones with yellow warnings only.
What AEMET's stations measured
The most measured in the zones with an orange or red warning, on their warning days: a high of 46.0 °C at Badajoz (Vegas del Guadiana) on 4 August.
| Zone | Highest temperature |
|---|---|
| Vegas del Guadiana | 46.0 °C Badajoz · 4 August |
| Campiña cordobesa | 45.7 °C Montoro · 3 August |
| Morena y Condado | 45.0 °C Andújar · 4 August |
| Tajo y Alagón | 45.0 °C Navalmoral de la Mata · 3 August |
| Campiña sevillana | 44.8 °C Fuentes de Andalucía · 4 August |
| Andévalo y Condado | 44.6 °C El Cerro de Andévalo · 4 August |
| Aracena | 44.6 °C Aroche · 3 August |
| Sierra norte de Sevilla | 44.4 °C La Puebla de los Infantes · 4 August |
| Sur de Badajoz | 44.3 °C Villanueva del Fresno · 4 August |
| Sur de Ávila | 44.3 °C Candeleda · 3 August |
| Barros y Serena | 43.7 °C Barcarrota · 3 August |
| La Siberia extremeña | 43.5 °C Navalvillar de Pela · 3 August |
| Meseta cacereña | 43.5 °C Aliseda · 3 August |
| Valle del Tajo | 43.4 °C Oropesa · 3 August |
| Norte de Cáceres | 43.3 °C Guijo de Granadilla · 3 August |
| La Mancha albaceteña | 42.8 °C Villarrobledo · 3 August |
| Villuercas y Montánchez | 42.8 °C Alcuescar · 3 August |
| Sierras de Alcudia y Madrona | 42.7 °C Almadén · 3 August |
| Sierra de San Vicente * | 42.5 °C Castillo de Bayuela · 3 August |
| Subbética cordobesa | 42.5 °C Aguilar de la Frontera · 3 August |
And 66 more zones with an orange or red warning.
* Zone with no AEMET station: the value is from the nearest one, outside the zone.
For each zone, the highest value its AEMET stations measured on the episode's warning days (the lowest, for the low temperature), with the station and the day. Rain from 07:00 to 07:00 UTC; gust: the day's strongest. It is what the zone's stations measured, not every town, and a measurement, like a warning, is not damage.
How AEMET's warnings unfolded
The red warning reached 10 zone-days, and AEMET always issued it ahead of time (median: 20 h). The first warning of any level for those same days had come a median 41 h earlier.
| Zone | Day | First warning | Red issued | For · notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas del Guadiana | Thu 2 | Mon 30 Jul, 23:50 orange | Wed 1 Aug, 11:05 | 14:00 · 27 h before |
| Norte de Cáceres | Fri 3 | Tue 31 Jul, 23:50 orange | Thu 2 Aug, 10:00 | 14:00 · 28 h before |
| Vegas del Guadiana | Fri 3 | Tue 31 Jul, 23:50 orange | Thu 2 Aug, 10:00 | 13:00 · 27 h before |
| Tajo y Alagón | Fri 3 | Tue 31 Jul, 23:50 orange | Thu 2 Aug, 22:09 | 14:00 · 16 h before |
| Miño de Ourense | Fri 3 | Tue 31 Jul, 23:50 orange | Thu 2 Aug, 22:11 | 14:00 · 16 h before |
| Miño de Pontevedra | Fri 3 | Tue 31 Jul, 23:50 orange | Thu 2 Aug, 22:11 | 14:00 · 16 h before |
| Vegas del Guadiana | Sat 4 | Wed 1 Aug, 23:50 orange | Fri 3 Aug, 10:36 | 14:00 · 27 h before |
| Campiña cordobesa | Sat 4 | Wed 1 Aug, 23:50 orange | Fri 3 Aug, 11:31 | 12:00 · 24 h before |
| Andévalo y Condado | Sat 4 | Wed 1 Aug, 23:50 orange | 09:24 | 12:00 · 3 h before |
| Campiña sevillana | Sat 4 | Wed 1 Aug, 23:50 orange | 09:24 | 12:00 · 3 h before |
The full timeline: 362 changes at orange or red
Only the changes involving red are listed: there were 362 in all.
Wed 1 August
- Vegas del Guadiana: Raises the heat warning to red: Thursday 2, 14:00–21:00. Highs of 44 °C.
Thu 2 August
- Norte de Cáceres: Raises the heat warning to red: Friday 3, 14:00–21:00. Highs of 42 °C.
- Vegas del Guadiana: Raises the heat warning to red: Friday 3, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 44 °C.
- Tajo y Alagón: Raises the heat warning to red: Friday 3, 14:00–21:00. Highs of 44 °C.
- Miño de Ourense: Raises the heat warning to red: Friday 3, 14:00–20:00. Highs of 42 °C.
- Miño de Pontevedra: Raises the heat warning to red: Friday 3, 14:00–20:00. Highs of 40 °C.
Fri 3 August
- Vegas del Guadiana: Raises the heat warning to red: Saturday 4, 14:00–21:00. Highs of 44 °C.
- Campiña cordobesa: Raises the heat warning to red: Saturday 4, 12:00–22:00. Highs of 45 °C.
Sat 4 August
- Andévalo y Condado: Raises the heat warning to red: Saturday 4, 12:00–21:00. Highs of 44 °C.
- Campiña sevillana: Raises the heat warning to red: Saturday 4, 12:00–22:00. Highs of 44 °C.
AEMET's issue times, in mainland Spain time (Canary Islands in island time). Notice is the time from issue to the first hour the warning covered; a warning issued “for the current hour” runs from the hour it is published.
What this says and what it doesn't
A warning is an AEMET forecast, not a measurement or a damage report: it says a threshold is expected to be exceeded in a zone. A warning is not damage; a zone is not a building.
A zone-day is one warning zone with a warning on one day. Ten zones at orange on the same day make ten zone-days. A day with several warnings in one zone counts once, at its highest level.
Each zone has its own thresholds, so an orange heat warning in Asturias doesn't mean the same temperature as in Córdoba. More in how warnings work.
To cite: “Climaviso, from AEMET warnings”.
Source: official AEMET warnings, collected by Climaviso since June 2018.