August 2026 has been the hottest August on record in the Valencian Community, according to Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, AEMET. The average temperature was 26.5°C, which was 2.1°C above the reference climate average.

The hottest day was 19 August, when westerly winds pushed temperatures above 42°C across many coastal and inland areas of Valencia and Alicante. Carcaixent reached 44.5°C and Xàtiva recorded 44.3°C. Valencia’s observatory reached 42.8°C, its fourth-highest temperature since records began in 1869. AEMET also says the first eight months of 2026 have been the hottest for that period since at least 1950.

Rainfall was close to normal overall, with 24.6 litres per square metre recorded across the region, 9% above the 1991–2020 average. However, rainfall varied sharply: Castellón was 41% drier than average, while Alicante had an 8% surplus and Valencia a 54% surplus.

Storms brought intense rain, particularly to northern Alicante and southern Valencia. On 20 August, some areas received more than 40 litres per square metre in less than an hour, while wet downbursts produced wind gusts above 100 km/h in parts of the Ribera Alta and Ribera Baixa. Other storms contributed to fires around Tírig-Catí and Segorbe-Gátova.