This popular holiday destination experienced its hottest summer ever (and that's not a positive thing)

People holidaying in Spain this year suffered from extremely high temperatures. According to the Spanish weather agency AEMET, Spain experienced its hottest summer on record. The heat reached a peak in August, when local temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius.

The reason for rising temperatures is anything but pleasant: the southern European country was hit by heat waves that lasted more than a month together and suffered the most wildfires in thirty years, all as a result of climate change .

Temperatures have been measured in Spain since 1961. "Nine of the ten warmest Spanish summers have occurred since 2000," an AEMET spokesperson told Reuters . The average temperature on the Spanish mainland last summer was 24.1 degrees Celsius (including nights). That's 0.1 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous record summer, in 2022. According to the AEMET spokesperson, this year's summer is merely a "harbinger" of what's to come.

Spain isn't the only country experiencing record heat. The United Kingdom experienced its warmest summer to date (since 1884), and the Netherlands also experienced exceptionally warm weather this year. While you wouldn't know it looking outside, it was the fourth warmest summer ever recorded in the Netherlands.

The record heatwaves are a result of climate change and regularly lead to wildfires. These wildfires are caused by a combination of high temperatures, persistent drought, and strong winds. The wind fuels the fire and accelerates its spread. To give you an idea: a record 1 million hectares of land has been destroyed in the European Union, which is roughly the size of Friesland, Groningen, and Flevoland combined. Because of these wildfires, holidaymakers traveling to Southern Europe are also urged to always pack a getaway bag. You can read what you need to pack here .