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May Heatwave Tied to 101 Deaths in Spain and About 20 in Galicia

Officials say earlier, longer warm seasons plus poor housing have raised people's vulnerability as AEMET warns of a hotter-than-normal summer.

Overview

  • A late-May heatwave that ran from about May 24 into early June produced a surge in deaths, and health authorities now attribute 101 excess deaths nationwide in May to high temperatures.
  • The Instituto de Salud Carlos III’s MoMo system provided the excess-mortality estimates that the Ministry of Health used to link roughly twenty deaths in Galicia to the heat episode.
  • Temperatures in parts of Galicia reached near 38°C in Ourense and daily spikes in heat-linked deaths were recorded, with about three attributable deaths per day between May 27 and May 30.
  • AEMET reported temperatures 10–15°C above normal in late May and forecasts more days above 30°C and an overall warmer-than-average summer, signaling ongoing public-health risk after a brief cooling from a storm.
  • Health Minister Mónica García warned that earlier, longer warm seasons and poor-quality housing increase harm because people are not yet acclimated, and some regional authorities have questioned how MoMo attributes statistical excess deaths to heat.