ClimavisoRain and heat across much of Spain, 18–24 August 2026
18 August 2026 to 24 August 2026. Updated 26 October 2026.
Over 7 days, 74 of Spain's 182 warning zones had an orange or red warning for rain and heat: 125 zone-days at orange or red, 8 of them red. The day with the most zones at orange or red was 19 August, with 32 zones.
18 August was the day with the most people in zones under an orange or red warning: 11.3 million people live there (INE municipal register, 2025).
How it compares
- It is number 26 of 119 episodes since June 2018 by zone-days at orange or red.
- Among the 35 rain episodes, it is number 2.
- There hadn't been a rain episode this widespread since June 2025.
Day by day
| Day | Red | Orange | Yellow | Orange or red warnings for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 18 August | 2 | 23 | 72 | heat |
| Wed 19 August | 4 | 28 | 35 | heat, rain, storms |
| Thu 20 August | — | 32 | 44 | rain, storms, heat |
| Fri 21 August | 1 | 7 | 12 | rain, storms, wind |
| Sat 22 August | 1 | 7 | 11 | storms, rain |
| Sun 23 August | — | 9 | 34 | rain, storms |
| Mon 24 August | — | 11 | 61 | storms, rain |
Zones with a warning each day, at their highest level that day.
The zones
And 71 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: 77.4 l/m² of rain in 24 h at Tarragona (Litoral norte de Tarragona) on 24 August; a high of 44.5 °C at Carcaixent (Litoral sur de Valencia) on 19 August.
| Zone | Most rain in 24 h | Highest temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Litoral norte de Tarragona | 77.4 l/m² Tarragona · 24 August | 36.9 °C Reus Aeropuerto · 20 August |
| Ribera del Ebro de Navarra | 68.6 l/m² Bardenas Reales, Base Aérea · 22 August | 39.5 °C Bardenas Reales, Base Aérea · 19 August |
| Pirineo oscense | 59.8 l/m² Aínsa-Sobrarbe, la Serreta · 20 August | 38.6 °C Aínsa-Sobrarbe, la Serreta · 19 August |
| Litoral sur de Valencia | 53.0 l/m² Polinyà de Xúquer · 20 August | 44.5 °C Carcaixent · 19 August |
| Interior sur de Valencia | 50.6 l/m² Xàtiva · 20 August | 44.3 °C Xàtiva · 19 August |
| Miño de Ourense | 41.2 l/m² Ribadavia · 24 August | 43.0 °C Ribadavia · 18 August |
| Ribera del Ebro de Zaragoza | 39.6 l/m² Caspe, Plana del Pilón · 23 August | 42.4 °C Zaragoza, Aeropuerto · 19 August |
| Miño de Pontevedra | 35.8 l/m² Ponteareas, Canedo · 24 August | 41.3 °C Ponteareas, Canedo · 18 August |
| Pirineo de Lleida | 35.8 l/m² Talarn · 24 August | 40.9 °C Llimiana · 19 August |
| Valle de Arán | 33.8 l/m² Bossòst · 20 August | 34.9 °C Naut Aran, Arties · 19 August |
| La Mancha albaceteña | 32.8 l/m² Chinchilla · 20 August | 38.8 °C Albacete Base Aérea · 18 August |
| Ibérica riojana | 32.4 l/m² Enciso · 19 August | 34.3 °C Anguiano, Valvanera · 19 August |
| Prelitoral sur de Tarragona | 31.6 l/m² Alforja · 24 August | 40.9 °C Cabacés · 19 August |
| Cordillera Cantábrica de León | 29.4 l/m² Riaño · 24 August | 37.3 °C Villablino · 18 August |
| Norte de Cáceres | 28.2 l/m² Nuñomoral · 24 August | 41.4 °C Madrigal de la Vera · 18 August |
| Hellín y Almansa | 27.0 l/m² Almansa · 20 August | 40.5 °C Hellín · 19 August |
| Rias Baixas | 25.3 l/m² Vigo Aeropuerto · 24 August | 37.7 °C Pontevedra · 18 August |
| Interior de Mallorca | 24.2 l/m² Porreres · 21 August | 39.5 °C Petra · 20 August |
| Noroeste de Murcia | 23.8 l/m² Bullas · 20 August | 40.8 °C Calasparra · 19 August |
| Ampurdán | 22.8 l/m² Figueres · 20 August | 37.6 °C La Bisbal (d'Emporda 3) · 19 August |
And 53 more zones with an orange or red warning.
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 8 zone-days. AEMET issued it ahead of time in 4 of them (median: 26 h) and for the current hour in the other 4: warnings are also raised as things unfold. The first warning of any level for those same days had come a median 39 h earlier.
| Zone | Day | First warning | Red issued | For · notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miño de Pontevedra | Tue 18 | Sat 15 Aug, 23:50 yellow | 08:53 | 13:00 · 4 h before |
| Miño de Ourense | Tue 18 | Sat 15 Aug, 23:50 yellow | 17:53 | 17:00 · for the current hour |
| Litoral norte de Alicante | Wed 19 | Sun 16 Aug, 23:50 yellow | Tue 18 Aug, 11:28 | 13:00 · 26 h before |
| Litoral norte de Valencia | Wed 19 | Sun 16 Aug, 23:50 yellow | Tue 18 Aug, 11:28 | 13:00 · 26 h before |
| Litoral sur de Valencia | Wed 19 | Sun 16 Aug, 23:50 yellow | Tue 18 Aug, 11:28 | 13:00 · 26 h before |
| Ribera del Ebro de Zaragoza | Wed 19 | Sun 16 Aug, 23:50 yellow | 17:08 | 17:00 · for the current hour |
| Menorca | Fri 21 | Wed 19 Aug, 11:35 yellow | 00:46 | 00:00 · for the current hour |
| Litoral norte de Tarragona | Sat 22 | Thu 20 Aug, 12:01 orange | 05:20 | 05:00 · for the current hour |
The full timeline: 204 changes at orange or red
Only the changes involving red are listed: there were 204 in all.
Tue 18 August
- Miño de Pontevedra: Raises the heat warning to red: Tuesday 18, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 40 °C.
- Litoral norte de Alicante: Raises the heat warning to red: Wednesday 19, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 42 °C.
- Litoral norte de Valencia: Raises the heat warning to red: Wednesday 19, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 43 °C.
- Litoral sur de Valencia: Raises the heat warning to red: Wednesday 19, 13:00–21:00. Highs of 44 °C.
- Miño de Ourense: Raises the heat warning to red: Tuesday 18, 18:00–21:00. Highs of 42 °C.
Wed 19 August
- Ribera del Ebro de Zaragoza: Raises the heat warning to red: Wednesday 19, 18:00–20:00. Highs of 42 °C.
Fri 21 August
- Menorca: Issues a red wind warning: Friday 21, 01:00–02:00. Gusts up to 120 km/h.
- Menorca: Raises the storms warning to red: Friday 21, 02:00–03:00. Strong gusts.
Sat 22 August
- Litoral norte de Tarragona: Raises the rain warning to red: Saturday 22, 06:00–07:00. Up to 180 mm in 12 h.
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.
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