Spain recorded 101 heat-related deaths during May 2026, making it the deadliest May since national monitoring began in 2015, while health authorities warned that heat extremes are arriving earlier in the year and increasing mortality risks across the country.
Storm Therese began affecting the Canary Islands, Spain, on March 19, 2026, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, rough seas, and snowfall at high elevations. The severe weather is forecast to persist until at least March 2, with rainfall totals of over 300 mm (12 inches) being forecast in parts of La Palma and Tenerife, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. Meanwhile, wind gusts above 90 km/h (56 mph) and waves over 5 m (16 feet) are expected.
Spain experienced an exceptionally wet winter between December 2025 and February 2026 as repeated Atlantic storms brought prolonged rainfall across the Iberian Peninsula. AEMET reported 323.2 mm (12.7 inches) of precipitation across peninsular Spain, equal to 171% of the 1991–2020 average, making it the country’s eighth wettest winter since 1961 and third wettest of the 21st century.
Thick Saharan dust from North Africa covered parts of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and neighboring countries on March 4, 2026, producing hazy skies, orange deposits, and moderate-to-poor air quality. Forecasts show the plume spreading toward central Europe before dispersing after March 6.
A new swarm of hybrid seismic events began beneath Teide volcano on Tenerife at 20:00 LT (21:00 UTC) on February 16, 2026, according to the Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN). More than 300 very low-magnitude earthquakes have been detected so far by the Canary Seismic Network, marking the eighth swarm of this type recorded on the island since 2016. INVOLCAN attributes the activity to magmatic-fluid injection into Tenerife’s hydrothermal system and states that the likelihood of an eruption remains unchanged.
Storm Nils brought heavy rainfall, destructive winds, and significant flooding to parts of France and Spain between February 10 and 16, 2026, leaving three people dead and cutting power to nearly 1 million households.
Storm Marta swept across Portugal and Spain between February 6 and 8, 2026, killing at least two people and displacing more than 11 000 as torrential rain, snow, and winds up to 120 km/h (75 mph) caused extensive flooding and agricultural losses. It was the third major Atlantic storm in less than two weeks, following Leonardo and Kristin.
Flooding caused by Storm Leonardo left one person dead in Portugal and a child missing in southern Spain between Tuesday and early Thursday, February 3–5, 2026, as exceptional rainfall inundated towns across the Iberian Peninsula. Emergency services carried out evacuations and search operations as river levels rose rapidly.
At least two people were killed in Portugal on January 28, 2026, as Storm Kristin brought destructive winds to the Iberian Peninsula after undergoing explosive cyclogenesis on January 27. A rare sting jet developed with the storm, intensifying hurricane-force winds.
Severe flooding struck Málaga Province, southern Spain, through Sunday and Monday, January 4 and 5, 2026, as Storm Francis brought torrential rainfall, dropping totals of up to 200 mm (8 inches) in parts of the Guadalhorce Valley and Costa del Sol. A Red Alert was issued for parts of the region as rivers overflowed, prompting evacuations and emergency rescues across Cártama, Alhaurín de la Torre, and Málaga city.
