Spain

Spain Weather Overview

When thinking of Spain's weather one's thoughts normally drift towards clear blue skies and hot sunny days. Spain does indeed enjoy a healthy amount of sunshine but the country is vast and experiences a whole range of weather conditions and a very diverse climate.

Coastal areas have very different weather from the central inland regions. The mountains again are different - Spain is in fact Europe's second most mountainous country. North and South have different climates as they are at very different latitudes, and the east and west are different again since they are affected by the Mediterranean and the Atlantic respectively.

The weather in Spain is perhaps the most diverse in Europe due to its position, coasts, mountains and large land mass. You can be skiing in one part while its beach weather in another!

Like anywhere in the world Spain can be subject to unusual weather. Heat waves and droughts can occur. Snow might be seen in unusual places - such as on an Ibizan beach! You might find an unusually wet summer. Hurricanes and tornadoes are occasionally, but rarely, witnessed in Spain.

In general though, there are three main climates to be found across Spain: Mediterranean, continental, and maritime:

Mediterranean Weather:

The Mediterranean weather obviously prevails right down the east coast of Spain as well as in the Balearic islands giving hot dry summers and mild winters. Sunshine is frequent - averaging 6hrs a day in winter and 12 in summer. Rainfall is highest in autumn and winter and very low in summer.

This is the type of weather that has made Spain such a famous beach-holiday destination. Summer rainfall is very low and sun is guaranteed. Temperatures are hot in summer, though the cooling sea breezes make for more comfortable days than you get in central Spain. Summer highs are normally in the highs 20s and low 30s and evenings are warm too, usually above 20°C. Some days can get up towards 40°C in mid-summer when the sea breeze is absent.

Winters are mild and temperatures rarely fall into single figures. A sunny winter's day can be very pleasant with the mercury climbing towards 20°C. It makes this part of Spain a good place for those wanting a break from the cold winters of northern Europe.

Late autumn, winter and early spring is when most of the rain falls. This rain often arrives in short heavy bursts when storms sweep in off the sea.

The further south down the Mediterranean coast one travels, the hotter it becomes. The southern regions can be subject to hot winds that blow off the deserts of northern Africa. These can bring very hot days and also deposit red desert sand over Spain - you'll notice this when you look at any of the white buildings or cars. The southern Mediterranean regions can also be very windy.

The northern end of the coast, on the other hand, can receive more rainfall and the occasional summer downpour.

Continental Weather:

Continental weather occurs in the central regions and means far greater differences between the seasons and large temperature extremes at both ends of the scale as well as low and irregular rainfall.

Central Spain can see very hot summer temperatures, with daily highs averaging around 30°C but often climbing into the high 30s and even the 40s. Winter temperatures can get very cold with frosts common and snowfall in the mountain regions.

The temperature records for Spain illustrate the extremes that can be found across the country. The highest official temperature recorded is a sweltering 47°C in Andalusia in the southern central region of Spain. Other records state a record of 51°C recorded in Seville in 1876. Andalusia is certainly the hottest part of the country, hotter even than the Canary Islands, and has a very arid countryside.

The coldest temperature officially recorded in Spain is -32°C in Lerida, the Pyrenean region in the north of the country. It is probable that temperatures on the highest peaks of the Pyrenees have fallen even lower. The Pyrenean region in northern Aragon is on average the coldest region of Spain. The Sierra Nevada mountain range also climbs to around 3800m so can see very cold temperatures and heavy winter snowfalls. Altitude is a huge factor in the climate of the mountain regions, but even the low lying areas of central Spain can experience very cold winter temperatures.

Rainfall across central Spain is not high - between 400mm to 600mm on average - and it can fall at any time in the year. Generally spring and autumn are the wettest times and summer the driest. The lowlands see significantly less precipitation than the mountains.

Maritime Weather:

Maritime weather is experienced by the north and north-west of the country and is heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. Summers are generally warm, without being hot. Winters are mild, although get colder the further from the coast you are. The fairly temperate ocean waters that surround the coast mean that it neither gets extremely hot in summer nor extremely cold in winter. Rainfall is fairly high and occurs throughout the year.

Bilbao lies near the northern Atlantic coast of Spain and sees summer highs in the mid 20s and lows dropping to around 4° in winter. The region has the coolest summer temperatures in Spain (apart from the high mountains) although they are very pleasant and arguably the most comfortable in the country - it gets very hot in the south. Rainfall is at its lowest in summer but it is wetter than other parts of the country.

Winter, though, can be quite grey and wet - something that those of us who come from the UK will be used to! Autumn and winter is when most of the rain falls in winter with November and December generally the wettest times, seeing about 160mm on average for the month.

Frequent storms hit Spain's north Atlantic coast, accounting for most of the rainfall. A winter storm can be quite a miserable affair with strong winds and sideways rain. It is, though, a time to appreciate the power of the ocean as it batters the coastline.

Mist and fog can also be common in winter along the coastal areas.

Canary Islands:

The weather in the Canary Islands is quite unique and a little different to the Spanish mainland - although they do both share a healthy amount of sunshine.

The Canary Islands are typically warm and sunny - they have been dubbed the 'islands of eternal spring'. Summers are hot but not too hot (unless the sirocco wind blows) and winters are very mild. Rainfall is low.

The weather does vary slightly from island to island and even on different parts of each island - especially the more mountainous ones such as Tenerife. These are said to be mini-continents with several different micro-climates. These are generally created by the effect of the islands' topgraphy on the prevailing northeast winds. This means that the south sides of each island are generally hotter drier throughout the year than the northern regions, with the majority of the rain falling on the northeast faces of the mountains. Punta Brava, on the north coast of Tenerife, is typically a couple of degrees cooler than Los Cristianos on the south coast. This predictability means one can pick and chose where to go each day depending on one's preference for weather conditions.

The main factor in the Canary Islands' exceptional climate in comparison to mainland Spain is their extreme southerly location, at the same latitude as the Sahara off the west coast of Africa. At this latitude heat is guaranteed year round. However, sitting in the Atlantic in the refreshing Canary Current, the Canaries benefit from cooling currents and breezes, generally avoiding extremes of heat found on the adjacent continent. Sometimes uncomfortably hot weather can blow over from the Sahara and eastern areas are generally warmer than western regions; Lanzarote, the eastern-most island, is generally a couple of degrees hotter than La Palma, the western-most island.

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