Climate of Spain by region and city: where winter is warmest and summer mildest

Spain’s climate is mostly Mediterranean: hot, dry summers and mild winters. Winter is warmest in the Canary Islands — about 18.2 °C in January — and on the southern Mediterranean coast, in Almería and Málaga, at about 12 °C. The mildest summers and the most rain are in the north, from Galicia to the Basque Country.

Below are the climate zones, city rankings for winter, summer, sunshine and rain, and a table of 19 cities. All figures are long-term averages from the Spanish weather service AEMET (valores climatológicos normales) for 1981–2010. For how winter feels and how homes are heated, see our article on winter in Spain.

Spain’s climate zones

Spanish weather depends on three things: distance from the sea, altitude, and which sea it is — the Mediterranean or the Atlantic. That gives six zones that feel more different from each other than a map suggests.

• The Mediterranean coast — Barcelona, Castellón, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, Mallorca. Winters are mild: 9.2–12.1 °C on average in January, and frost is rare in the coastal cities themselves — Valencia gets less than one frost day a year on average. Summers are hot and humid, around 30 °C in the daytime in August. Plenty of sun — 2,696–2,905 hours a year.
• The south-east — Murcia and Almería. The driest part of mainland Spain: 200–297 mm of rain a year and about 3,000 hours of sunshine. Murcia’s summers are hot — an average August maximum of 34.2 °C.
• The inland south — the Guadalquivir valley, Seville. The hottest summers in the country: an average daily maximum of 35.5 °C in August, often above 40 °C. Winters are mild — 10.9 °C in January.
• The central plateau — Madrid, Valladolid, Granada. A continental climate: cold winters and hot, dry summers. Madrid averages 6.3 °C in January, Valladolid 4.2 °C, with 56 frost days a year in Valladolid. August days reach 30.1–34.2 °C.
• The Atlantic north — Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country. “Green Spain”: cool summers (an August average of 19.1–20.9 °C), mild damp winters and a lot of rain — 122–141 rainy days a year against 25–55 in the south. Noticeably less sun: 1,610–1,816 hours a year against 2,700–2,900 on the Mediterranean coast.
• The Canary Islands — almost no seasons. 17.9–18.2 °C in January, 24.6–25.5 °C in August, and little rain — 151–226 mm a year.

Ranking: where winter is warmest

January is the most telling month. The gap between cities is 14 degrees: from 18.2 °C in Tenerife to 4.2 °C in Valladolid. On the mainland, the south of the coast is warmest: Cádiz, Almería, Málaga, then Valencia and Alicante.

The average hides the gap between day and night. In Málaga a January day averages 16.8 °C and the night 7.4 °C; in Granada the day is 13.0 °C and the night around zero. On the coast you can walk in a light jacket and eat on a terrace in winter; in the centre of the country you need heating and winter clothes. City details, insulation and heating bills are in our article on winter in Spain.

Ranking: where summer is hottest and mildest

In summer the ranking almost flips. It is hottest away from the sea and in the south: in Seville, Murcia and Granada the average August daily maximum is 34.2–35.5 °C. It is mildest in the north: in San Sebastián, A Coruña and Oviedo August days reach 22.5–23.3 °C — air conditioning is hardly needed.

On the Mediterranean coast days are around 30 °C, but the heat feels worse than the figure: humidity is high and the air barely cools at night. The Canaries are cooler in summer than the mainland south — 27.5–29.0 °C in the daytime in August.

Sun and rain: the sunniest and rainiest cities

The south-east and south get the most sun: Almería (2,994 hours a year), Murcia (2,967), Granada (2,917), and Tenerife and Málaga at about 2,900. The north gets the least: 1,610 hours in Bilbao, 1,756 in Oviedo.

Rain is the other way round. The driest places are Las Palmas (151 mm a year), Almería (200 mm) and Tenerife (226 mm). The rainiest are San Sebastián (1,507 mm, 141 rainy days), Bilbao and A Coruña. Madrid gets 421 mm a year — less than London.

In the south and on the Mediterranean coast it rarely rains, but hard: autumn downpours can bring a month’s rain in a day. Keep this in mind when choosing a home — ground floors and houses in dry riverbeds (ramblas) flood.

The climate of 19 Spanish cities in one table

Cities are sorted by January temperature, from the warmest in winter to the coldest. The annual average, rainfall and rainy days are also AEMET normals. For some stations AEMET does not publish an annual sunshine total — there is a dash.

Which climate to choose when moving

• Warm all year without the heat — the Canary Islands. The difference between January and August is about 7 degrees. But these are islands: the mainland is a flight away, and the choice of homes and schools is smaller.
• Mild winter and the sea, and you can handle the heat — the coast from Valencia to Málaga. This is where most foreigners live and where life for them is best set up. Choosing a city by budget and infrastructure — in our guide on where to live in Spain.
• You cannot stand the heat — the north: San Sebastián, Bilbao, Oviedo, A Coruña. Summers are comfortable; winters are damp and grey.
• A big city with jobs and schools, climate second — Madrid: colder winters than the coast, hot and dry summers.
• Buying a second home or a villa — look not only at the average temperature but at humidity, winter night temperatures and the risk of downpours. A house without heating on the coast is damp and cold in winter; in the north you can live without air conditioning all year. The overall ranking of cities by cost, safety and infrastructure is in our article on the best cities to live in Spain.

Key points about Spain’s climate

• The climate depends on the zone: the Mediterranean coast, the south-east, the south, the central plateau, the Atlantic north and the Canaries differ more than the map suggests.
• Winter is warmest in the Canaries (17.9–18.2 °C in January); on the mainland in Cádiz, Almería and Málaga.
• Summer is hottest in Seville, Murcia and Granada and mildest on the northern coast.
• Almería and Murcia get the most sun; San Sebastián and Bilbao the most rain.
• The centre of the country — Madrid, Valladolid — has cold winters with frost.

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Frequently asked questions about Spain’s climate

What is the climate like in Spain?

Mostly Mediterranean: hot, dry summers and mild winters. But the north, from Galicia to the Basque Country, has a maritime climate with cool summers and a lot of rain; the centre is continental, with cold winters and hot summers; the south-east is semi-arid; and the Canaries are warm all year.

Where in Spain is the warmest winter climate?

In the Canary Islands: the average January temperature is 18.2 °C in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and 17.9 °C in Las Palmas. On the mainland the south of the coast is warmest: 12.7 °C in Cádiz, 12.6 °C in Almería and 12.1 °C in Málaga.

Where in Spain is the best climate to live all year round?

If you want even weather without heat or cold — the Canary Islands: the difference between January and August is about 7 degrees. If you want the mainland and the sea — the coast from Valencia to Málaga: mild winters and hot but seaside summers. If you do not cope well with heat, the north suits you.

Does Spain have winter and snow?

It does, but it varies a lot. On the coast January is 9–13 °C and there is practically no snow. In the centre winter is cold: Madrid averages 6.3 °C in January and 4 snow days a year, and Valladolid has 56 frost days. In the mountains there is snow and ski resorts operate.

Where in Spain is there the least rain and the most sun?

The driest places are the Canaries and the south-east: 151 mm of rain a year in Las Palmas and 200 mm in Almería. The most sun is in Almería (2,994 hours a year) and Murcia (2,967 hours).

What is the climate like in northern Spain?

Maritime, mild and humid. Summers are cool — 22.5–26.0 °C in the daytime in August — and winters have no hard frosts, but there is a lot of rain: 141 rainy days a year in San Sebastián and 124 in Bilbao. There is almost half as much sun as in the south-east: 1,610 hours a year in Bilbao against 2,994 in Almería.

Where in Spain are summers hottest?

In the Guadalquivir valley and the south-east: the average August daily maximum is 35.5 °C in Seville and 34.2 °C in Murcia and Granada. On hot days the temperature there rises above 40 °C.

Sources

• AEMET — Valores climatológicos normales (station normals, 1981–2010)
• AEMET — Madrid, Retiro station normals
• AEMET — Málaga Aeropuerto station normals
• AEMET — Santa Cruz de Tenerife station normals
• AEMET — San Sebastián, Igueldo station normals