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Nearly 100 Heat-Linked Deaths Recorded in Catalonia in First Week of July

Weather warnings show a forecast heat spike that could push estimated deaths higher and increase pressure on health and care services.

Overview

  • The MoMo monitoring system of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III estimates at least 97 premature deaths in Catalonia during the first seven days of July, out of 364 heat-linked deaths estimated across Spain.
  • Tarragona province has the highest heat-linked mortality rates in the country while parts of the Empordà have seen daytime highs above 38°C and nighttime lows that stayed around 32°C.
  • Most estimated deaths this summer in Catalonia have been among people over 65, with roughly 90% of fatalities concentrated in that age group and a disproportionate share affecting older women.
  • MoMo provides daily statistical estimates of excess mortality tied to temperature anomalies rather than certified causes of death, so the figures are provisional and may be revised as monitoring continues.
  • May and June already showed record heat-linked tolls in Catalonia, and forecasters say red alerts and a new surge of extreme heat make further increases likely, which could tax local health and social-care services.