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Barcelona already breaks its September heat record and could still rise higher
Barcelona is no longer merely threatening its September records: one of them fell this Wednesday the 2nd. Observatori Fabra provisionally reached 33.6 °C, six tenths above the previous monthly high, which had stood since 1983.
The previous record was 33.0°C, registered on 25 September 1983. On Wednesday, Meteocat placed Fabra’s automatic maximum at 33.6°C shortly before 15:00 official time. The figure must still pass final validation, but if confirmed it would be the highest temperature recorded there in September since the series began in 1914.
And the episode has not yet peaked. Forecasts keep temperatures rising over the coming days, with Barcelona approaching 34°C on Friday and values around 35°C over the weekend. The most intense heat is expected between Friday and Sunday, before a clearer fall at the start of next week.
Fabra’s record does not mean that every weather station in Barcelona has already exceeded its own mark. Each site has a different series. At Can Bruixa, in Les Corts, the historic September maximum is 33.4°C, recorded in 1987. At El Prat airport, the bar is higher still: 34.0°C since September 1926.
Nights are another element to watch. At Fabra, the record for the highest September minimum is 24.8°C and a tropical night — a minimum of at least 25°C — has never been recorded there during this month. Can Bruixa, by contrast, reached a minimum of 26.9°C on 4 September 2023.
The difference helps explain why speaking of Barcelona as a single temperature can be misleading. Proximity to the sea, altitude and urban density make heat behave differently between Collserola, Les Corts, the centre and the coast. During the day Fabra may stand out in warm-wind episodes, while lower neighbourhoods tend to retain more heat at dawn.
The episode arrives immediately after an exceptional summer. Meteocat has just confirmed that summer 2026 was the warmest measured in Catalunya, while Observatori Fabra also closed its warmest meteorological summer in the whole series and reached a new absolute record of 40.9°C in July.
For now, it is best not to use heatwave as an automatic synonym for several very hot days. The meteorological classification depends on meeting certain thresholds of intensity, extent and duration. What can already be said on 2 September is more specific: Barcelona has begun the month with a historic record at Fabra, and the potentially hottest days are still to come.