Climate of Spain


The climate of Spain is highly diverse and varies considerably across the country's various regions. In fact, Spain is sometimes described as the most climatically diverse country in Europe and has 13 different Köppen climates.
The four most dominant climates in the country include: The hot-summer Mediterranean climate, the warm-summer Mediterranean climate, the semi-arid climate and the oceanic climate.
The average annual temperature in the mainland varies from less than in the north of the Pyrenees, close to the border with France, to more than. on small regions of Mediterranean coast on Almeria, Granada and Malaga provinces, reaching as high as in Rincón de la Victoria. The annual average precipitation ranges from more than on the northwest of Galicia and in the Pyrenees near San Sebastian to less than in southeastern Spain in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.
In the Canary Islands, annual average temperature varies from less than in the highest altitude area of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to more than on lower areas of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, while the average annual precipitation ranges from more than on the highest altitudes of La Palma to less than in parts of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Spain, like other countries of the Mediterranean Basin, is vulnerable to climate change, with greater risk of heatwaves and dry weather.

Zones

Four main climatic zones can be distinguished, according to the country's Köppen-Geiger climate classification and orographic conditions:
Apart from the four main climate zones, other noticeable sub-zones can be found, such as the humid subtropical climate in large areas in the northern half of Catalonia going down to Barcelona, the province of Huesca and northern Navarre. The warm-summer humid continental climate which can be found in many areas in north-eastern Spain, in areas starting with altitudes above 1000-1100 masl. It can be found also in some areas in the Cantabrian Mountains and the highest areas of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range in central-eastern Spain. The dry continental climates all across Spain in the highest areas, the alpine climate and the Subarctic climate in the higher areas of northern Spain's various mountain ranges and a hot desert climate in the southeastern coastline, on Almeria and Murcia provinces. Hot desert climates and hot semi-desert climates can also be found in the Canary Islands, most notably on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, but also in the coastal areas of Gran Canaria and in the south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. On the remaining islands, this climate is also present, but in a much smaller portion. In the coastal areas of the Canary Islands, there are some regions that are influenced by a tropical climate, as the average temperature in the coldest month is above.

Hot summer Mediterranean climate

The hot-summer Mediterranean climate is found in many parts of Spain's Mediterranean coast, from the border with Portugal to the middle of the province of Granada. Then it starts in Calpe, and goes to the border with France. It also extends inland in Andalusia and Extremadura. It is characterized by hot, dry summers and mild winters with infrequent frosts. The summers are hot, the winters are mild and most of precipitation falls in the autumn. Examples of cities with Csa climate are Málaga, Barcelona, Palma or Seville.

Warm summer Mediterranean climate

The Csb warm-summer Mediterranean climate is found in parts of Galicia and the western areas of Castilla y Leon. Coastal Mediterranean region is marked by Leveche winds: hot, dry, easterly or southeasterly air currents that originate over North Africa. Periods of these winds, which sometimes carry fine Saharan dust, are more common in spring and are associated with a sudden, usually short-lived, increase in temperature. A cooler easterly wind, the Levante, funnels between the Sistema Penibético and the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. These easterly winds are the ones which most influence the Mediterranean climate. The most populous city with Csb climate in Spain is Vigo. Other cities with this climate are Ávila, León and Salamanca.
It is characterised by year-round mild temperatures with drier summer months, often resulting in moderate drought conditions with at least one month per year usually recording less than. This is a characteristic which distinguishes Galicia from a typical Cfb climate. Annual rainfall is higher than in the eastern and southern regions, usually ranging from. Not all Galicia has a Csb climate, most of the north and central mountains have a typical oceanic Cfb. Some valleys in the south are classified as Hot-summer Mediterranean, like the comarca of O Condado, the city of Ourense or O Ribeiro.
In North-West Castile, the climate is classified also as Csb because the temperatures of summer are cooler due to the altitude.

Oceanic climate

An oceanic climate prevails from the Pyrenees to Galicia, area which is sometimes called "Green Spain", characterized by relatively mild winters and warm summers. The climate and landscape are determined by the Atlantic Ocean winds whose moisture gets trapped by the mountains circumventing the Spanish Atlantic coast. Because of the Foehn effect, the southern slopes fall inside the rain shadow zone and so Green Spain contrasts starkly with the rest of Spain. The rainfall is generally abundant, exceeding and is fairly evenly spread out over the year, with the driest month above, which is the minimum criteria for an oceanic climate according to Köppen. Although Köppen officially limits the oceanic domain to the Asturias and the Basque Country region, certain authors such as Trewartha prefer to extend this climatic zone to the north-west part of the peninsula to Galicia, due to the moderate summer temperatures.
Temperatures vary only slightly, both on a diurnal and a seasonal basis, and averages range from in January to in July. The moderating effects of the sea are less prominent further inland, where temperatures are more extreme than those on the coast. Distance from the Atlantic Ocean also has an effect on precipitation levels, so there is less rainfall in the east than in the west. Autumn is the wettest season, while July is the driest month. The high humidity and the prevailing off-shore winds make fog and mist common along the north west coast; this phenomenon is less frequent a short distance inland because the mountains form a barrier to the maritime moisture.

Humid subtropical climate

The humid subtropical climate exists in large areas of north-eastern Spain, mostly in the northern half of Catalonia and the province of Huesca. This climate is also found across northern Navarra and the northern areas of the province of Guadalajara. The climate usually occurs in the transition zone between the oceanic climates further north and the mediterranean climates further south. The largest city with this climate in Spain is Girona.
This type of humid subtropical climate is atypical for normal humid subtropical climates, with there not being the characteristic inflow of warm, moist air during summer causing convective thunderstorms but is nonetheless classified as humid subtropical by Köppen.

Semi-arid climates

The semi-arid climate is predominant in south-eastern Spain, and in certain parts of the Ebro Valley. It is also present in parts of the centre, south and west of the country which borders between a Mediterranean and semi-arid climate. It is very hot during the summer and the drought usually extends into the autumn. Rainfall in these areas are usually between 200 mm and 500 mm.

Desert climate

The desert climate exists in a few heavily rain-shadowed zones of the south-eastern coast of Spain and in many parts of the Canary Islands. Within mainland Spain, it appears predominantly in Almería, with the city of Almería bordering a hot desert climate categorization as the average temperature is and the average precipitation is approximately 200mm. This area extends to the Andarax and Almanzora river valleys and the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, which are also known for having also a hot desert climate, with a precipitation amount of per year which is reportedly the driest place in Europe. In fact, Almeria, Murcia and Alicante provinces are the only areas in Europe within the hot desert climatic zone. The desert climate exists in other areas of the southeast, such as the Tabernas Desert. It also exists in areas of Murcia and specific points inland of the province of Alicante.

Other types

Besides the above three major climate zones, there are four other climate types in Spain:
The southernmost coast of Spain has the warmest winters across Europe, with very sunny and mostly warm days with total absence of winter frosts allowing for the prolific cultivation of tropical fruits such as mango, papaya, cherimoya, pitaya and the carambola, amongst others. The benign winter, with minimum night temperatures in January rarely falling below 5 °C is due to the microclimate created by the Sierra Nevada mountains to the north of this coastal strip, preventing cooler north winds from reaching the area.

Percentage of predominant climates and diversity

According to AEMET, the climate in Spain is extremely diverse, due to its very diverse orography. In total, there are 13 Köppen climate types in Spain, with the polar tundra type becoming extinct from the period 1981-2010. These are the climates that are found in majority of Spain:
  • Mediterranean climate : Predominates the country and occupies around 60.2% of the territory. It is characterized by dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The hot summer is more extensive compared to the warm summer.
  • Semi-arid climate : It is present in a significant part, occupying around 21.3% of the country. It is predominant in the southeast, but also in a significant portion of the country's interior, such as the Meseta Central. The cold semi-arid is much more extensive than the hot semi-arid. However, the hot semi-arid still occupies more than 1% of the territory, which is significant compared to continental climates that occupy a smaller percentage. Spain has the largest semi-arid areas on the European continent.
  • Temperate climate without dry season : The oceanic climate and the humid subtropical also occupy a significant portion, although in a smaller percentage. Around 17.4% has the Cf climate, with the oceanic climate accounting for around 13% and the humid subtropical climate accounting for around 4.4%. It is predominant in the north of Spain, with mild winters and warm summers and it is rainy throughout the year.
In addition to these, the continental climates with dry summer Dsa, Dsb, Dsc and no dry season Dfb and Dfc are also present. The hot desert climate and the cold desert climate occupy around 0.3% of the territory and are only present in the southeast of the country.

Canary Islands

In the Canary Islands, arid and semi-arid climates predominate, but there is also a significant portion with a Mediterranean climate:
  • Desert climate : It occupies around 48.1% of the territory, with the hot arid being significantly more extensive than the cold arid.
  • Semi-arid climate : It occupies around 21.4%, with the hot semi-arid being more extensive than the cold semi-arid.
  • Mediterranean climate : Occupies around 30.5%, with the warm summer Mediterranean being more extensive than the hot summer Mediterranean.
Also present are extremely small areas that have a dry summer continental climate.
A very limited area, located right at the eastern coastline of La Palma can be described as closely bordering on wet and dry tropical climate with dry season experienced during high sun months, given the mean temperature of the coldest month of the year is generally at or slightly above 18 °C at sea level, and the average yearly amount of precipitation results in a borderline non-arid climate by Köppen's definition.

Temperature averages for Spanish non-mainland cities

LocationColdest
month		AprilWarmest
month		October
Ibiza
Palma
Menorca Airport

Extreme temperature records in selected cities

Nationwide, the official lowest temperature ever reported in Spain is in Estany Gento, Province of Lleida on 2 February 1956; although in recent years lower temperatures have been recorded by stations not belonging to AEMET, the lowest being at Vega de Liordes, in the Picos de Europa.
Conversely, the highest, officially, is at La Rambla, Cordoba on 14 August 2021.
LocationRecord highsRecord lows
Mediterranean
La Rambla, province of Cordoba—
Montoro, Córdoba—
Cordoba
Seville
Granada
Málaga
Continental
Zaragoza
Albacete
Teruel
Valladolid
Northern Atlantic
Ourense
Bilbao
A Coruña
Oviedo
Vigo

Sea temperature

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