In the first half of August 2026, Spain recorded 1,108 deaths associated with high temperatures, according to estimates from the Daily Mortality Monitoring System (MoMo) MoMo puts the number of heat-related deaths in Navarre at 30 for the period 1–15 August. The latest assessments rank the national figure as the third-highest for the first two weeks of August since the series began in 2015; higher estimates were recorded only in 2018 and 2022.
MoMo is operated by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III . The system compares the total number of deaths reported each day with a statistically expected baseline, and calculates both excess mortality and the proportion that can be attributed to temperature deviations. These are model-based estimates using aggregated mortality data; MoMo does not replace individual medical determinations of cause of death. The results may be revised as data are consolidated.
The demographic breakdown of the national estimates shows a clear concentration among older people: 1,070 of the 1,108 cases were among people over 65, including 659 over 85. By sex, 670 women and 438 men are recorded. These figures come from the assessments published on 17 August.
Regionally, Catalonia recorded the highest figure, with an estimated 575 heat-related deaths, followed by Andalusia with 105. For Canary Islands the figure is 75, for Valencian Community 56, for Castile and León 53 and for Castile-La Mancha 41. The next group comprises Aragón with 35, the Basque Country with 33, and Madrid and Galicia with 31 each. Navarra is recorded as having 30 cases in the first half of August.
Context and consequences: The latest MoMo estimates point to persistently elevated health risks during heatwaves, particularly for the very elderly and people with pre-existing conditions. For authorities and health services, the daily updated data provide a basis for adapting preventive measures to circumstances — such as heat alerts, care in residential facilities or resource planning in emergency and health services. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that MoMo shows the scale of temperature-associated mortality at population level without causally attributing individual deaths.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).