# Weather in Spain - could everyone help?



## Chimaera (Aug 12, 2015)

I know that it is a particularly British trait to be preoccupied by the weather, and the weather is not the be all and end all, however climactic conditions can have a bearing on whether or not someone is happy in an area.

On a world scale the weather has of late been changeable and different to norms. On this basis I was wondering, and forgive my presumptuousness, whether people might be willing to give a quick precis of their weather experience in the area they live. I know it is an oft asked question about the weather in so and so area, and likewise it can surprise people just how cold parts of Spain can get. I appreciate that of course there is a wealth of information available on the web about the weather for an area, however putting a human perspective on data is so much more personal and can often help put things in perspective, and perhaps a one stop weather thread might prove a valuable tool to people researching Spain.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Chimaera said:


> I know that it is a particularly British trait to be preoccupied by the weather, and the weather is not the be all and end all, however climactic conditions can have a bearing on whether or not someone is happy in an area.
> 
> On a world scale the weather has of late been changeable and different to norms. On this basis I was wondering, and forgive my presumptuousness, whether people might be willing to give a quick precis of their weather experience in the area they live. I know it is an oft asked question about the weather in so and so area, and likewise it can surprise people just how cold parts of Spain can get. I appreciate that of course there is a wealth of information available on the web about the weather for an area, however putting a human perspective on data is so much more personal and can often help put things in perspective, and perhaps a one stop weather thread might prove a valuable tool to people researching Spain.


my area just had its hottest July for 30 years

I've been here in Jávea nearly 12 years - each year seems to have got progressively hotter & drier. We're officially in a drought atm, although we have had a little rain over the past week - a _very _little

it's also humid in summer & damp in winter

night time winter temps can frequently be 0º or below, with mid teens to mid 20s in the daytime in the sun

night time summer temps are generally mid 20s & daytime low to mid 30s with a realfeel (because of that humidity) of nearer 40º. We've had a few days of _actual _temperatures nearing 40º this summer though


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Here (about 30km East of Malaga and 5km inland) it was also, like many parts of Spain, the hottest July on record. Having said that, the temperature only reached 40C on a handful of days, whereas inland places (such as Sevilla, Cordoba, Ronda, Antequera and Granada routinely experience temperatures of 40C and over for weeks on end in summer). 

About the first 10 days of August were also unpleasantly humid but prior to that, and again now, it is more of a dry heat. 

Temperatures are now back to around normal for this time of year (33C today), with a nice breeze.

In almost 9 years here (and 3.5 years before that as holiday home owners) we have never experienced freezing or below zero temperatures here, never seen ice or snow except on top of the mountains we can see from our roof terrace). Normally the lowest overnight temperatures we get are around 5C. As far as daytime temperatures go, there are normally a few days each winter when the temperature is below 18C but we often get afternoon temperatures in the low 20s. A couple of years ago I went to Granada in mid February and the water in the public fountains was frozen over, and I've seen reports occasionally of roads being blocked by snow only 20km or so inland from where I live.

It doesn't rain here anywhere near as often as it did where I lived in the UK (but that was near Manchester so say no more, we are notorious for it) but when it rains it comes down in stair rods, my street looks like a succession of waterfalls. Most years we read reports of devastating flash floods having happened somewhere or other that do huge amounts of damage. I have seen some minor flooding in our town centre sometimes but we live on a hill so it just runs down past us. People we know who live out in the countryside in properties reached by tracks have experienced severe problems when part of the track has been washed away by floods or landslides and they haven't been able to get in or out (and they have to then bear the cost of repairing the track too).

Although the daytime winter temperatures look warm compared to the UK, you do find you acclimatise very quickly and we now start to feel chilly when it goes below 20C and 15 or less feels really cold. Also in winter the temperature drops really sharply once the sun goes down so again you feel cold, and we are always putting jumpers or fleeces on when we first get up in the morning when it's cold, taking them off around midday then putting them back on at 5pm. It took a long time to get my head around the fact that it is warmer to sit outside on winter afternoons than it is to stay indoors.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

I live 15 minutes inland from the Costa del Sol and at 87 meters elevation. Winters have been milder in recent years. Been here 16 years and in some of the first winters our fountain froze solid and all the papayas died. This has not happened recently. It can get down towards 0C however, and we frequently get ground frosts and can have to scrape car windscreens if left out. The coldest days in winter see daytime maximums of about 13C. Any day of the year could reach 20C given the right conditions.
Rainfall seems to fluctuate wildly from huge amounts (on relatively few days) to very little. The last winter was very dry. If it happens again this year then reserves may start to dwindle.

This summer has been the hottest for 40 years or so. Even in May this year, we had temperatures over 40C and have had more such days this summer than in previous years. July and the first part of August were exceptionally warm. The last couple of days have seen more normal temperatures. Night temperatures remain very high at 25-27C. Humidity in summer varies a lot depending on wind direction. The north and westerly winds are extremely hot and dry (humidity under 10%) while the easterly wind from the Med is wetter and can be up to 60%.
It has never snowed here.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

We live inland at least 30 minutes from the coast at Gandia or 1.5 hours from the coast at Denia, Javea or Calpe.

As for others, we've had the hottest July on record (50-100 years). It regularly went over 40 with the highest (ISTR) at 46. I would say that, normally, we may have temperatures for one or two days in the forties and the rest high 30's. In the winter, it often gets below zero with -7 being the lowest that I've experienced in 9 years. During the day though it can be in the twenties.

Humidity is different again - during the summer it's regularly over 80% with figures in the mid 90's recently.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

Chimaera said:


> I know that it is a particularly British trait to be preoccupied by the weather, and the weather is not the be all and end all, however climactic conditions can have a bearing on whether or not someone is happy in an area.
> 
> On a world scale the weather has of late been changeable and different to norms. On this basis I was wondering, and forgive my presumptuousness, whether people might be willing to give a quick precis of their weather experience in the area they live. I know it is an oft asked question about the weather in so and so area, and likewise it can surprise people just how cold parts of Spain can get. I appreciate that of course there is a wealth of information available on the web about the weather for an area, however putting a human perspective on data is so much more personal and can often help put things in perspective, and perhaps a one stop weather thread might prove a valuable tool to people researching Spain.


We live in Alicante province, about 30 miles from the coast as the crow flies but 530 metres above sea level. Winters tend to be cooler than on the coast but summers are hotter. In January/February we have seen night temperatures as low as -7C and in July/August we usually have a few days at 40C or slightly above. In November 2009 we were snowed in for three days - it wasn´t even possible for four-wheel drive cars to use the roads around where we live! On the whole, the climate is very pleasant and even in the winter we enjoy many warm, sunny days and we frequently eat lunch on the terrace in the winter sun. Spring is our favourite season, with lots of sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20s. Autumn can also be very pleasant but it is the season when we are supposed to get a lot of rain (although not for the last two years!). This area is known for an autumn phenomenon called the Gota Fria when torrential rain can cause severe flooding and mudslides but we have lived here for seven years and haven´t experienced it yet (we thought we had but our Spanish neighbours assured us that it wasn´t the real thing - and after seeing You Tube footage of the Gota Fria we now know this to be case!)


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Chimaera said:


> I know that it is a particularly British trait to be preoccupied by the weather, and the weather is not the be all and end all, however *climactic* conditions can have a bearing on whether or not someone is happy in an area.


Please make a note to get a contextual spell-checker: "climactic" is to do with having a climax! 

While this summer has been continuously quite hot with temperatures in the high 30s and occasionally low 40s, we have had it hotter in other years when it was peaking around 45°. We also have had it very cold in winter and in January 2009, I got frostbite which I haven't had since the winter 1962/63.

We live a fair way inland and at 723m amsl. Temperatures vary with altitude as well as latitude. Andujar, abut 30km north of here but 500m lower will regularly have temperatures 6-7° or more higher than ours. Córdoba, 100km northwest from here but 600m lower, can be as much as 10° hotter. The reason is Andujar and Córdoba are in the Guadalquivir depression (the wide river valley). In winter that depression is a 'frost-hollow'.

This year summer started in May and, apart from a few days, has been continuously hot (mid - upper 30s), although we are currently enjoying a slight respite with only 29-31°. We have had no rain since the end of April so there is a real risk of wildfires and we have had three in the near vicinity.

Winter 2009-10 we had a lot of continuous heavy rain all over southern Spain and a lot of roads were washed out (including some main roads) and many have still not been restored to their former smoothness (it takes a long while for the foundation to resettle properly) and many villages were cut off and, indeed, one of our two access roads was cut.

Those temperature BTW are in the shade, not in the sun.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I've just checked our actual recorded temperatures for July and it was much hotter than I realised.


El tiempo de julio para Vélez-Málaga 2015 - Pronóstico de AccuWeather para Andalucía España (ES)

You could use the same site to check temperatures for various times of the year, anywhere you're particularly interested in.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Here on the Meridian Isle, in the Capital Valverde, summertime is usually mid twenties, sometimes low thirties, night temperatures 18 go 20ºc. The trade winds from the north keep us cool. Winter 16 to 22ºc daytime, night 12 to 14ºc.

About twice a year we get the wind from the Sahara, a calima, very hot and dusty in summer, cold and dusty in winter

Other Canary islands experience higher temperatures both winter and summer, but nothing like the Iberian peninsular. Some say we have the best climate in the world, having travelled the globe I am inclined to agree, far more agreeable than the West Riding.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

On the Costa del Sol sea level has the best temperatures, milder winters and more temperate summers. Just a 5 minute drive inland, and upwards can make a difference. Can be very pleasant in December lunching at a chiringuito, go sit inside and you may need a jacket Some areas of Spain (Cadiz?) have as much rain as Manchester. I think the difference is it doesn't rain as many days as in Manchester, it just comes all at once I have noticed from the charts that Valencia city can get very cold and Madrid in winter is often much colder than where I live in the UK.

Good thing about this forum is you are forewarned. I think the early pioneers got a shock!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

We moved to Spain in February (2008) and I got the shock of my life. We'd left all our big winter woolies at home, cos I innocently believed that the winters would be similar to British summers - wrong!!!! Yes, during the day if/when the sun came out, its pleasant, but when the sun goes down, its very cold. The houses are cold because most dont have central heating, cold tiles everywhere and no real insulation. As someone else said, you tend to find that in the winter on a sunny day, you go outside to warm up. The rain and winds are sporadic. You can go several weeks without any. We were unlucky and the worst winter we had (2010????) we were flooded in our house for days, there were landslides and roads were washed away, I couldnt get out of the house to get more gas cylinders, the electricity kept cutting out and it was unbearably cold and nothing we could do. A friend had to have her horses airlifted because their stables and fields flooded...... 

In fact that first year, 2008, it rained pretty much everyday, although only for a couple of hours, but enough to keep everything cold and damp.

However, usually by April, things look up and then it gets hot - very hot. Now I love the heat and never complained, but those around me used to hide in their cool houses or pools. My children hated the heat, so they'd stay in their rooms most of the summer - especially my daughter, who didnt like the heat, the dust, the insects/gekkos......all attributes of the heat!!!

By the way, we were inland Malaga, Alhaurin de la Torre !!!

Jo xxx


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## Chimaera (Aug 12, 2015)

Thank you so much to everyone for their replies, the information is really helpful and interesting too. Thank you too baldilocks for correcting me, apologies for my faux pas :embarassed: I shall immediately go to the naughty corner and whilst there search for a contextual spell-checker (can I blame it on W10?)


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

This summer has been particularly brutal, but the upside has been a warmer than normal swimming pool. 

At 900m/3000' we live at an altitude higher than anywhere in England, occasionally have snow on the ground in the winter and often have a swimming pool that it too cool for my liking in the summer!

This week, however, has been most pleasant. We are just back from a few drinks and tapas in a local plaza and the temperature is 23º outside and 23º inside, damn near perfect.

In two months' time I could be looking out at snow capped mountains while adding another log to the fire. Foreigners seem to believe than Spain is all about the Med, sunbathing, beaches and eating every meal outside.


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## LDN2ESP (Jul 24, 2015)

Interesting read the above. Obviously, a hillside town bathed in Southern sun will benefit from warmer days. But typical of countries with fairly extreme temperatures, a hillside town in the shadow of a mountain would enjoy cooler days, but probably far colder nights?

This is precisely the issue I'm wrestling with now, the want to avoid a concrete jungle of the coast (popular areas) and head inland to a Pueblo. However, as stated above, a few hundred metres above sea level can have a big sway on temperatures throughout the year. I'll continue to take interest in all the posted replies, it's far better than reading any guide book, as those replying have in many cases experienced the weather day in day out. Great thread.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Madliz said:


> This summer has been particularly brutal, but the upside has been a warmer than normal swimming pool.
> 
> At 900m/3000' we live at an altitude higher than anywhere in England, occasionally have snow on the ground in the winter and often have a swimming pool that it too cool for my liking in the summer!
> 
> ...


Much the same for me as I live in same area as Liz,( north West of Madrid) but at @880m.
This summer, phewww! Everyone's been complaining about it, especially the fact that it's been warm at night. There's usually a deliciously cool breeze that comes in through the window and you can sleep with a light covering. Not this year, although as Liz says, the last few days there's been a break in the relentless heat. Last night we went to a bar on the side of the reservoir. There was an African trio playing soft music in the background, a very slight breeze and a temp of @26º. Lovely. (Apparently we were celebrating a 4-0 win of Athletic de Bilbao. I was just happy to have a cool Baileys in my hand)
In the winter I regularly scrape ice off the windscreen, but December is a favourite month. Crisp days and beautifully clear blue skies. We can have days of snow, and it can settle and make driving difficult because every way out involves a hill, but it's only a matter of hours, not days, before you can move around. The schools have the occasional snow day. January and Feburary can be very cold. Not necessarily rainy or windy, but cold. We have natural gas central heating (as do all the neighbours) and this is not so common in other areas of Spain I gather.
For many years (I think about 17!) when we moved here we made the transition from winter to summer in a matter of days, perhaps only 3. Spring just did not exist. The last few years though it's appeared again, which is nice.
We rarely have floods or droughts, maybe one of each since we've been here. 
Temps are typically 30º - 40º in the summer, -5º - 15º in the winter


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

I noticed an increase in the number of my neighbours going back to the UK for the whole month of August, as it is unbearably hot.
Winter was a misery, cold and damp in an uninsulated, tiled house and expensive to heat properly
Also, i became increasingly intolerant of intense heat as the the years went by.
The best months were April/ May and September/ October
When Place in the Sun' is on, i laugh cynically a when the gullible visitors are led to believe they will spend every waking hour outside!


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I've never understood why people label August as an unbearable month. In my experience, July is always the hottest, helped by the longer days and, naturally, shorter nights. August has longer nights and therefore a longer time to cool down. Sleeping is always easier in August. The day length for tomorrow, for example, will be 2m24s shorter than today.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

Madliz said:


> I've never understood why people label August as an unbearable month. In my experience, July is always the hottest, helped by the longer days and, naturally, shorter nights. August has longer nights and therefore a longer time to cool down. Sleeping is always easier in August. The day length for tomorrow, for example, will be 2m24s shorter than today.


I agree that July now is hotter, but 2 mins 4 s - come on!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

extranjero said:


> I agree that July now is hotter, but 2 mins 4 s - come on!


at that rate, in a month, it is more than an hour.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

We have been here 3 years and this is the first summer I have actually felt hot, as people said that could down to the humidity but it has been quite hot as well so a double hit maybe.
Still it works for me, I like the heat but also realize the need to stay cool and without a shadow of a doubt the best purchase we have made is a new aircon unit for the new house.

I have also noticed this year seems to have been far more cloudy and windy than the previous couple.

Winters do get quite cold and our rental house was far to big to efficiently heat so you feel it more. No idea what this winter will be like as we have moved up the side of a small mountain that at it's coldest gets snow on the peak but I don't think it often makes it down to 300meters.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

One of the pluses of a Spanish winter is the extra daylight because of the extra hour and being more southerly. (never understand why the UK does not change). Here in the UK it is dark by 5pm in December, probably earlier in the north. Our property in Spain is western CDS and we can see the sun setting about 6.10pm over Gibraltar. 

I think it is the lack of decent heating that makes it feel colder in Spain. Even a lot of restaurants do not have adequate heating and in a few we have had to sit with our coats on. Gas CH at the touch of a switch would improve things.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Isobella said:


> One of the pluses of a Spanish winter is the extra daylight because of the extra hour and being more southerly. (never understand why the UK does not change). Here in the UK it is dark by 5pm in December, probably earlier in the north. Our property in Spain is western CDS and we can see the sun setting about 6.10pm over Gibraltar.
> 
> I think it is the lack of decent heating that makes it feel colder in Spain. Even a lot of restaurants do not have adequate heating and in a few we have had to sit with our coats on. Gas CH at the touch of a switch would improve things.


It does get dark quite a bit earlier in the North of England. I ususally come over to Manchester at the start of December and it is starting to get dark by 3.30 pm, completely dark by 4 pm. I really don't like that, used to hate getting up and going to work in the dark and then by the time I left the office it was already dark, I felt like a mole. Here, as you say, it is 6 pm or just after before the sun sets.

You are right about the heating, but many people (including me) probably don't want to invest in putting in central heating (even if they can get natural gas) because it would only be needed for a relatively short time, 4 months of the year.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Isobella said:


> One of the pluses of a Spanish winter is being more southerly. (never understand why the UK does not change).


Unfortunately, the UK's position is rather fixed and could not move to a more southerly position even if a referendum were to suggest that there was an overwhelming vote for it to do so.   

Changing to CET was tried back in the 70s on the grounds that it would be easier for business but there was a return to the present system because it meant that too many children were at a far greater risk of injury or death because it was so dark in the mornings.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Madliz said:


> I've never understood why people label August as an unbearable month. In my experience, July is always the hottest, helped by the longer days and, naturally, shorter nights. August has longer nights and therefore a longer time to cool down. Sleeping is always easier in August. The day length for tomorrow, for example, will be 2m24s shorter than today.


My MIL said this to her bother today.
"Ya sabes lo que dicen - agosto, frio en el rostro"


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Isobella said:


> One of the pluses of a Spanish winter is the extra daylight because of the extra hour and being more southerly. (never understand why the UK does not change).


But not all parts of Spain are on C.E.T. here we are on W.E.T. in the so called winter months and W.E.S.T. in the summer, and long may we remain so.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Madliz said:


> This summer has been particularly brutal, but the upside has been a warmer than normal swimming pool.
> 
> At 900m/3000' we live at an altitude higher than anywhere in England, occasionally have snow on the ground in the winter and often have a swimming pool that it too cool for my liking in the summer!
> 
> ...


Suffice to say - it's been a nice cool summer. As usual - here in Asturias this year.
All this talk of sweltering hot heat and months of drought down south seems
- to me, as if in a foreign land.
Of course I've never once had the thought of switching on the Air Conditioning,
not as if I need air conditioning here anyway. Which is just how I like it thanks.
Hasta Mañana.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Isobella said:


> .
> 
> I think it is the lack of decent heating that makes it feel colder in Spain. Even a lot of restaurants do not have adequate heating and in a few we have had to sit with our coats on. Gas CH at the touch of a switch would improve things.


CH wouldn't heat our house....the salon has a ceiling that goes the height of the house and is open to the upper storey. Lovely in summer as it has French windows on both sides but we don't use it in the evening from November to April. 
We use a smaller upstairs room with a balcony as a study/library as it's so easy to heat when heat is needed...but that isn't often even in winter as it faces east and gets the morning sun.
We heat the room we're in, either with gas or the wallheater/AC unit. But tbh if we wore warm clothes, sweaters, we could get by without heating. Neither of us is into 'frugality' though so we heat dining room study and bedroom.
I have never seen frost where we live on the (non concrete jungle) coast but as someone said, go five minutes inland and you could be scraping ice off your windscreen. It's been very hot and humid this summer, around 35 -40C since July but with a breeze, usually,and I can't remember when we last had 'real' rain. 
It's never really cold in the winter, temperatures around 15 C or higher. So overall I find the climate very agreeable but then we did come here from snow from late October to late March and temperatures below -10C down to -20C or less when it was really cold with a wind straight from the Russian steppe....


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Sierra de Cádiz/Costa de la Luz: warm dry summers, with the occasional heatwave (over 35ºC) like the one we had earlier this month. High winter rainfall (any time between late September and April) when it can rain for several days at a time. The majority of that time though it is mild and sunny and we hardly ever get a frost. April-May and Sept-Oct are the best times, especially spring when the hills and valleys are covered with a riot of wild flowers.

The area is known for the Levante, a hot dry easterly wind which drives people crazy. It is well predicted though, so you can plan ahead and avoid organizing an outdoor event while it's blowing. I'd say on average it's windy about 10% of the time. Then there is the Poniente, a moist westerly wind which lowers the temperatures.


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