The climate in Spain

Due to its location in the southwest of Europe with a connection to the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees and intermediate land masses of almost 1,000 km, the Spanish climate is exposed to numerous influences. It is divided into different climate zones. In general, it is warmer than in Germany due to its southern location, but it is not possible to give a more precise description.

On the northwestern coast, there is an Atlantic climate, which provides for extensive precipitation, but at the same time, a pleasantly mild climate in the summer and winter. The endless water masses of the Atlantic work as heat buffers and prevent most weather extremes.

In the interior, there is an almost continental climate, which is still influenced by the nearby water masses. As in Central Europe, precipitation is sometimes persistent and cold. Summers, on the other hand, are much warmer. The further you get from the Atlantic and closer to the Mediterranean Sea, the warmer the summers become and the milder the winters. This is mainly due to the Mediterranean influences from the protected Mediterranean Sea.

Directly at the Mediterranean Sea (Catalonia and the Balearic Islands) this effect culminates in an extremely mild winter with daily maximum temperatures rarely below 15°C and only small amounts of precipitation. Only in autumn does the Mediterranean climate provide for partly heavy, but short precipitation. Summers, on the other hand, are hot (25-30°C) and at times humid.

In the Pyrenees at the northern border to France, on the other hand, there is a mountain climate. The 430 km long and up to 3,400 meters high mountain range separates the Iberian peninsula from the large land masses of Europe and forms a barrier for warm and cold air masses. In the foreland, the winters are considerably longer and colder. Summers remain short and comparatively cool.

Exposed location of the Canary Islands

The remote Canary Islands lie about 1,200 km further south in the Atlantic off the African west coast and play a special role in the Spanish climate. The climate here is subtropical, with mild weather all year round and temperatures between 18 and 25°C. Due to the open location in the ocean and the southern position, there is almost no winter. This location also ensures that weather conditions such as wind and rain from all directions are different.

Temperature records of the last 74 years

The hottest temperature measured from 1949 to January 2023 was reported by the Murcia Alcantarilla weather station. In August 2021, the record temperature of 47.0 °C was reported here. The hottest summer from July to September, based on all 91 weather stations in Spain below 1,130 meters altitude, was recorded in 2022 with an average temperature of 24.5 °C. This average temperature will normally be measured every four to six hours, thus also including the nights. Normally, this value is 23.1 degrees Celsius. The average maximum daily temperature at that time was 30.5 °C.

The coldest day in these 74 years was reported by the Teruel weather station. Here the temperature dropped to -21.0 °C in January 2021. Teruel lies at an altitude of 902 meters above sea level. The coldest winter (January to March) was in 1950 with an average temperature of 8.4 °C. In Spain, it is usual to have about 2.4 degrees more at 10.8 °C for this three-month period.

The most precipitation fell in March 2001. With 22.0 mm per day, the Santiago De Compostela weather station recorded the highest monthly average of the last 74 years. Incidentally, the region with the most rainfall for the whole year is around Vigo Peinador. The driest region is near Fuerteventura.

Long-term development of temperatures from 1986 - 2022

In contrast to single record values, long-term development cannot simply be brought about by all weather stations in the country. Both the number and the locations are constantly changing. An average value would give a distorted result. If several measuring stations in particularly cold mountain or coastal regions are added in one year, the average would decrease as a result of this alone. If a station fails during the summer or winter months, it does not provide any values and distorts the average again. The subsequent long-term development was therefore reduced to only 3 measuring points in order to have comparable data over as long a period as possible.

In the years 1986 to 2022, there were only these 3 weather stations in the whole country, which reported continuous temperature values (La Coruna, Almeriaort, Valladolid). From these weather reports, we have created a long-term development that shows the monthly average temperatures. The hottest month in this entire period was July 2022 at 24.8 °C. February 2005 was the coldest month with an average temperature of 7.8 °C.

The average annual temperature was about 15.6 °C in the years after 1986 and about 16.3 °C in the last years before 2022. It has therefore increased only slightly by about 0.7 °C over the past 37 years. This trend only applies to the selected 3 weather stations in Spain. A considerably more comprehensive evaluation of global warming has been provided separately.

Data basis and methodology

The data from the individual measuring stations are based on the archives of the German Weather Service, individual values averaged and supplemented by own elements. In order to determine a representative national average, average values were first calculated for each part of the country, which were then summarized at the national level. Thus, if a disproportionate number of weather stations are located in a small area, their number does not affect the national average. There are 92 stations in Spain itself. In 10 cases, neighboring but nearby weather stations were also used to obtain more accurate values.