Spain Weather: Everything You Need To Know

Spain Climate 

Spain is a large country and has three different climatic regions. Here you will find the Mediterranean climate largely due to its long shores along the Mediterranean Sea, which is typically hot during summer and sees damp winters. In the central part, the plateau or the Meseta sees very hot and dry summers and cold winters, while northwestern Spain receives an oceanic climate with higher rainfall, occasionally heavy snow in the mountainous region, cool summers and comfortable winters.

Even the capital city of Spain, Madrid experiences two different sub-climatic zones, one in the northeast part of the city, and the other in the rest of the city. The northeast part is more extreme than the rest of the city. Northeast Madrid always sees 1 to 2 degrees C higher in maximum temperatures and 1 to 2 degrees C less in minimum. Rainfall is also a little higher there than in the rest of the city.

We will focus mainly on three cities of Spain (i.e. Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao) that belong to different climatic zones. We have also shown the sea temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea (Barcelona) and Atlantic (Santander).

Temperature

Madrid witnesses typical hot summers and chilled winters. The temperature difference between maximum and minimum during winter is almost 9 to 10 degrees while during summer the difference is almost 15 degrees. The minimum temperature in winter hovers around 1 to 2 degrees Celsius and the maximum around 10 to 12 degrees. Spring and fall see much warmer temperatures with the maximum temperature peaking to 27 degrees in September and minimum getting down to around 5 degrees during March.

And summer is really hot in Madrid. Maximum temperature reaches almost 33 degrees C during July with a minimum of around 15 degrees during June. See the weather chart of Madrid below.

Mediterranean climate has its own character with comfortable winters and warmer summers. Barcelona is always comfortable during winters with the highest average temperature of 17.8 in November and the lowest of 8.9 degrees in January. The difference between maximum and minimum is 6 degrees on average.

Spring is very comfortable in Barcelona with the highest of 17.6 degrees C in March and 22.7 degrees C in May. The minimum temperature is lower by 7 degrees from maximum during spring. Summer is much warmer. Even in July and August, it’s really hot with maximum temperature hovering around 29 degrees. Unlike spring, fall is quite warm in Barcelona. The highest average temperature in September is 26 degrees C. For further details see the chart of Barcelona.

North-West part of Spain has Oceanic weather with comfortable winters and little warmer summers. Bilbao sees a maximum temperature of around 14 degrees during winter and a minimum of around 5 degrees. Spring is quite comfortable with the highest temperature of 20.9 degrees in May. Fall sees the highest temperature of 24.6 in September which is rather warm. The warm summer of Bilbao witnesses maximum temperatures of around 25 to 26 degrees and a minimum of around 13 to 15 degrees. The chart for Bilbao given below has specific details.

Sea Temperature

The Mediterranean Sea is always warmer than the Atlantic. Water temperatures in Barcelona and Santander are almost similar in winter. Spring onwards Mediterranean Sea gets warmer with maximum temperature reaching up to 21.3 degrees C in May when Atlantic sees a maximum of 17.8 degrees C.

Atlantic with the shore of Spain records maximum water temperature of 22.7 degrees in July while Barcelona sea shore sees the maximum of 27.1 degrees in August. Fall experiences comfortable sea temperature in Santander with a 5 degrees variation between maximum and minimum, while Barcelona sea remains warmer with a maximum sea temperature around 26.8 degrees in September.

Sea Temperature Chart

Atlantic Coast (Santander), Mediterranean Coast (Barcelona)

Rainfall

Like other parts of Europe, Spain too experiences rain throughout the year but the amount of rainfall largely varies from season to season and from climatic zone to zone. Madrid receives heavy rains during the fall. The Mediterranean coast sees more rains in fall and the Atlantic shore experiences heavier rainfall during winters.

Rainfall in Madrid is higher during October and November with a maximum of 56 mm in October and it rains for an average of 7 days in a month. Rest of the time Madrid sees mostly scarce rainfall with slightly more rains during spring. Summer receives the least rain with a minimum of 10 mm in August.

Barcelona receives more rainfall than Madrid. Barcelona sees minimum rainfall of 25 mm in July with scarce to average rainfall throughout winter, spring and the rest of the summer. Barcelona sees maximum rainfall during fall time. In September and October, it receives 82 and 97 mm rains respectively.

Atlantic shore with Spain experiences the highest rainfall throughout the year due to its Oceanic climate. Summer receives moderate rains while the latter part of fall, spring and winter receives the heaviest rainfall during the year. The highest rainfall occurs in November (147 mm) while the lowest rainfall takes place in July (51 mm).

Humidity

The central region of Spain sees higher humidity during winter and it’s much drier during summer. The other two regions of Spain experience moderate humidity throughout the Year. Madrid experiences 80% humidity in January and only 40% during the month of July… these are the highest and lowest averages respectively. Barcelona sees the highest humidity in October (75%) and the lowest in July (69%). Bilbao experiences the most consistent humidity throughout the year with a highest of 74% and maximum variation of 4% only.

Sunny Days

Madrid and Barcelona see more sunshine hours than Bilbao. Madrid witnesses a total annual sunny hours of 2,742 with a monthly average of 228.5 hours and a daily average of 7.5 hours. The maximum sunshine hours in Madrid are 355 hours in the month of July and the minimum in December (125 sunny hours).

In Barcelona total yearly sunny hours are 2,515 hours with a monthly average of 209.5 hours and a daily average of 6.9 hours. The highest sunshine month is July (312 sunshine hours) and the lowest sunny month is December (137 sunny hours).

As mentioned earlier that due to its climatic condition Bilbao experiences minimum sunny hours with a total yearly average of 1,623 sunny hours. The monthly average is 135.25 hours and the daily average is around 4.5 sunny hours. July sees the maximum sun for 186 hours while December sees the minimum for 78 hours only. (refer to the three weather charts below).

Wind Speed

Wind speed in Madrid is normally steady at around 6.8 KPH. The minimum average wind speed is 6 KPH in September and the maximum average is 10.8 in April. Barcelona throughout the year faces gusty wind with the highest average of 19 KPH in April and the lowest average of 16.5 during summers and winters.

Bilbao sees varied wind speed in different seasons. Wind speed varies between 6 to 8 KPH in fall and winter. Springs and summers see more wind speed like 19 KPH in March & April and 16 KPH during July to September.

Snowfall

The central hilly zone of northwestern Spain receives more snowfall during the winter and spring than any other region. Madrid witnesses scattered snowfall for a maximum of 3 to 4 days in a year during winters while Barcelona receives sporadic snow. Bilbao too has very little record of receiving snowfalls.

Weather Charts

Madrid

Barcelona

Bilbao

Best Time to Visit Spain

Spain is an amazing country with its mountains, beaches and grandiose cities. However you do not like excessive heat or chill, Spain should be avoided during summers and winters as summers are too hot and winters are too cold. Spring is the ideal time to visit Spain because of its comfortable weather.

Autumn too is a great season but you might find moderate to heavy rains during this time particularly near the Oceanic climatic zone and Mediterranean regions. However, like other European countries, Spain too receives mild to moderate rains throughout the year.

Travel Tips

It will be a good idea to carry an umbrella or raincoat. Do not forget to pack a bottle of sunscreen lotion, you will need it. The southern part of Madrid especially Seville and Cordoba are fiery hot during July and August when the highest temperature can reach up to 40 degrees.

One more useful tip… do not go out shopping from 2 to 4 pm as you might find most of the shops closed. The Spanish people really enjoy their afternoon naps or siesta.

Highlights of Central and South Central climates

• Spring and early autumn is the best time with pleasant average temperatures and light to moderate rain fall
• July is the hottest month
• January is the coolest month
• October is the dampest month
• August is the driest month

Highlights of eastern coastal regions

• Spring and autumn are the best time and usually have pleasant weather; winter is also not extreme
• The sea temperature remains comfortable throughout spring and autumn
• July is the driest month
• October is the wettest month

Highlights of North region

• Spring and autumn are the best time while summer is a little warmer with lesser rain
• August sees the highest temperature while January has the lowest
• The driest month is July
• November is the wettest month
• Overall this region receives moderate to heavy rain for most of the year

Also Read

• Know about Spain tourism before you go