The sea water temperature has reached new highs at various points in the measurement network of State Ports during the summer of 2026, with unprecedented records at several buoys located in the Mediterranean, the Cantabrian, and the Atlantic.
The highest value has been recorded at the Dragonera buoy, which on August 5, at 6:00 PM, measured a temperature of 33.02 degrees Celsius. This is the highest water temperature recorded so far in the entire measurement networks managed by State Ports. This buoy has had a temperature sensor since 2006.
The data show a particularly significant concentration of highs in the Levantine-Balearic basin. All the buoys in this area, except for the one located in Valencia, have exceeded their historical maximum temperature records this summer.
In Mahón, the buoy recorded 32.36 degrees on August 8 at 5:00 PM, the highest value since it began having a temperature sensor in 2021. The coastal buoy in Tarragona reached 30.7 degrees a day later, on August 9, a figure that constitutes both its particular maximum and the highest value recorded so far in the Coastal Network. This device has temperature measurements since 2013.
Also on August 9, the coastal buoy in Barcelona reached 30.5 degrees at 3:00 PM. In this case, the available series dates back to 2004. The oceanic buoy in Tarragona recorded a maximum of 30.31 degrees a few days later, on August 13 at 7:00 PM, also above all its previous records since 2004.
Other observation points in the Mediterranean have presented historical highs during the summer. The Cabo de Palos buoy reached 29.77 degrees on July 21 at 8:00 PM, within a series that began in 2006. Cabo Begur reached 29.18 degrees on August 16, while Cabo de Gata measured 28.84 degrees on August 19. This last buoy has temperature records since 2001.
The highs have not been limited to the Mediterranean. On the Basque coast, the Pasaia II buoy recorded 28.4 degrees on June 23 at 7:00 PM, the highest temperature since the installation of its sensor in 2022. The Bilbao-Vizcaya buoy subsequently reached 25.27 degrees on August 12, within a measurement series that dates back to 2006.
The three Galician buoys included in the information from State Ports have also recorded new highs. Estaca de Bares reached 23.13 degrees on August 13 at 7:00 PM. On the same day, at 4:00 PM, Villano-Sisargas recorded 22.17 degrees. Meanwhile, Cabo Silleiro reached 21.55 degrees on August 30 at 9:00 PM. The three stations have temperature sensors since 2001.
The data collected over the last few months is also reflected in the Marine Climate Indicator of sea water temperature produced from the buoy measurements. According to State Ports, the summer of 2026 ranks among the warmest in the entire represented series, with values exceeding climatic averages during nearly all summer months.
The Levantine-Balearic and Noratlantic basins have had a particularly relevant incidence on this behavior, concentrating much of the highest values and individual records reported by the measurement stations.
Along with these highs, the network has also detected episodes of the opposite sign linked to local oceanographic conditions. This is the case of the coastal buoy in Málaga, which on August 25, at 10:00 AM, recorded 15.6 degrees, its minimum temperature for an August month.
State Ports attributes this decrease to an upwelling phenomenon, through which deep water masses, and thus colder, rise towards the surface. In the Málaga area, this process can occur when persistent westerly winds blow.Although the August record was unusually low for that month, it does not constitute the absolute minimum of the Málaga buoy. That value remains at 11.7 degrees, measured in January 2020.The observation network of State Ports allows tracking the evolution of oceanographic variables at different points along the Spanish coast and creating long-duration series. The data from this summer show a succession of highs in stations with histories that, in several cases, already exceed two decades of continuous measurements.
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The sea temperature reaches new highs in the buoy network of State Ports — El Estrecho Digital
