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Madrid, Spain
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In total, there are 13 Köppen climate types in Spain, with the polar tundra type (ET) becoming extinct from the period 1981-2010. These are the climates that are found in majority of Spain: Mediterranean climate (Cs): Predominates the country and occupies around 60.2% of the territory. It is characterized by dry (warm or hot) summers and mild ...
Learn about the five types of climate in Spain, from the cool and humid north-Atlantic coast to the hot and sunny Mediterranean coast. Find out the average weather, temperature, rainfall and sunshine hours for each region and season. Compare the climate of different regions and seasons with the world climate guide.
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Spain is characterized by the overlap of one fundamental climatic division (between humid and semiarid and arid zones) by another (the threefold division of the peninsula into maritime, continental, and mountain climates). This complexity results from the peninsula’s size, which is large enough to generate a continental thermal regime; its location close to the Atlantic Ocean and North Africa, exposing it to both maritime and Saharan influences; and its mountainous relief, which not only produces its own climatic zones but also exaggerates local aridity through the creation of rain shadows on the mountains’ leeward sides.
The Pyrenees and the Cantabrian ranges play an important role in the Spanish climate, holding the warm, dry subtropical airstream over Spain during the summer months. In general, westerly winds from the North Atlantic are dominant most of the year, while the warm, dry Saharan airstream blows less frequently. Some local or seasonal winds are notable: the easterly levante (levanter) can bring as many as 15 consecutive days of dry, clear weather to the coastal strip in the region of the Strait of Gibraltar; the leveche brings a hot, dry, dust-laden wind that blights vegetation in spring from the southern sector to the Spanish Levantine lowlands (the provinces of Castellón, Valencia, and Alicante); and in spring and summer a wind from the same sector, the solano, carries unbearably hot, dry, suffocating weather over the Andalusian plain. Northern Spain, from Galicia to northern Catalonia (Catalunya, or Cataluña), is characterized by a temperate humid or maritime type of climate, having high rainfall and an average temperature in January of 43 °F (6 °C) near the coast but less than that inland and in the mountains. A Coruña (La Coruña) has a moderate annual temperature, ranging from 48 °F (9 °C) in winter to 64 °F (18 °C) in summer, and the annual rainfall is about 38 inches (965 mm). The rest of the peninsula has a Mediterranean type of climate with continental tendencies—i.e., hot toward the coast, relatively cold in the interior, humid only in the mountains, and dry elsewhere. Thus Albacete, in the southeastern part of the southern Meseta, varies between 40 °F (4 °C) in the winter and 75 °F (24 °C) in the summer, while the annual rainfall is less than 15 inches (380 mm). The valleys of the Ebro and the Guadalquivir also have a continental climate, the Ebro drier and colder and the Guadalquivir warmer and more humid. Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands enjoy more temperate weather, with higher rainfall in Catalonia, while the Canary Islands have a subtropical Atlantic climate.
Spain is characterized by the overlap of one fundamental climatic division (between humid and semiarid and arid zones) by another (the threefold division of the peninsula into maritime, continental, and mountain climates). This complexity results from the peninsula’s size, which is large enough to generate a continental thermal regime; its location close to the Atlantic Ocean and North Africa, exposing it to both maritime and Saharan influences; and its mountainous relief, which not only produces its own climatic zones but also exaggerates local aridity through the creation of rain shadows on the mountains’ leeward sides.
The Pyrenees and the Cantabrian ranges play an important role in the Spanish climate, holding the warm, dry subtropical airstream over Spain during the summer months. In general, westerly winds from the North Atlantic are dominant most of the year, while the warm, dry Saharan airstream blows less frequently. Some local or seasonal winds are notable: the easterly levante (levanter) can bring as many as 15 consecutive days of dry, clear weather to the coastal strip in the region of the Strait of Gibraltar; the leveche brings a hot, dry, dust-laden wind that blights vegetation in spring from the southern sector to the Spanish Levantine lowlands (the provinces of Castellón, Valencia, and Alicante); and in spring and summer a wind from the same sector, the solano, carries unbearably hot, dry, suffocating weather over the Andalusian plain. Northern Spain, from Galicia to northern Catalonia (Catalunya, or Cataluña), is characterized by a temperate humid or maritime type of climate, having high rainfall and an average temperature in January of 43 °F (6 °C) near the coast but less than that inland and in the mountains. A Coruña (La Coruña) has a moderate annual temperature, ranging from 48 °F (9 °C) in winter to 64 °F (18 °C) in summer, and the annual rainfall is about 38 inches (965 mm). The rest of the peninsula has a Mediterranean type of climate with continental tendencies—i.e., hot toward the coast, relatively cold in the interior, humid only in the mountains, and dry elsewhere. Thus Albacete, in the southeastern part of the southern Meseta, varies between 40 °F (4 °C) in the winter and 75 °F (24 °C) in the summer, while the annual rainfall is less than 15 inches (380 mm). The valleys of the Ebro and the Guadalquivir also have a continental climate, the Ebro drier and colder and the Guadalquivir warmer and more humid. Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands enjoy more temperate weather, with higher rainfall in Catalonia, while the Canary Islands have a subtropical Atlantic climate.
Spain has been invaded and inhabited by many different peoples. The peninsula was originally settled by groups from North Africa and western Europe, including the Iberians, Celts, and Basques. Throughout antiquity it was a constant point of attraction for the civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean. From c. 1100 bce the Phoenicians, the Greeks, ...
Find out the average temperatures and hours of sunshine in some of the main Spanish cities and regions for each season. Learn how to pack for the weather in Spain, from spring to winter, and what type of clothing to bring for each season.
Learn about the diverse climates of Spain, from Mediterranean to oceanic, semi-arid to continental, and more. Find out the best and worst times to visit Spain based on temperature, precipitation, and seasonal variations.
Jan 24, 2022 · Learn how the weather in Spain varies by region, from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to the Pyrenees and Canary Islands. Find out when to visit, what to pack, and what to expect from the climate in Spain's different seasons and climates.
Mar 27, 2019 · Spain's climate is influenced by its varied geography, location, and mountainous relief. It has three main climatic zones: continental, Mediterranean, and maritime. The continental zone has dry and warm summers and cold winters with irregular rainfall. The Mediterranean zone has mild and wet summers and mild winters with low rainfall. The maritime zone has warm and wet summers and mild winters with high rainfall.