TUNIS: Tunisia’s summer of 2026 has been officially declared the hottest on record since temperature records began in 1950, the National Meteorological Institute confirmed. The country endured an exceptionally grueling season, with average temperatures reaching 2.9 degrees Celsius above previous records, driven by intense and prolonged heatwaves.
Scientists attribute these extreme temperatures to climate change, which also caused persistently high nighttime temperatures throughout the summer. Peak temperatures reached 49.7 degrees Celsius in the central city of Kairouan, 49.2 degrees Celsius in Beja in the northwest, and 48.4 degrees Celsius in Tozeur in the south.
The extreme heat coincided with severe infrastructure strain. Frequent power outages, sometimes lasting more than ten hours, were implemented by the state-run electricity company STEG as load shedding to ease pressure on the network. These outages disrupted electric pumps, compounding frequent water cuts and leading to a critical shortage of bottled water.
President Kais Saied stated that the outages were “not simply temporary or isolated cases” and “did not result from ordinary breakdowns,” but were instead part of “criminal plans” and “attempts at provocation.”
While official figures on the health impact of the heatwaves have yet to be released, a group representing young Tunisian doctors reported numerous deaths caused by the heat. Additionally, the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH) documented 23 deaths in prisons, where harsh conditions were worsened by high temperatures and overcrowding.