🇪🇸Spain

Spain extends from 27°38′ to 43°47′N, occupying approximately 85 percent of the Iberian Peninsula plus the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands off the African coast, and the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. The interior is dominated by the elevated Meseta Central at 600 to 800 m, ringed by the Pyrenees with Aneto at 3,404 m, the Cantabrian Mountains, Iberian System, Sierra Morena, and Sistema Central, plus the Sierra Nevada rising to peninsular Spain's highest peak Mulhacén at 3,479 m and Teide on Tenerife at 3,715 m—the highest in all Spanish territory.

This topographic complexity produces extraordinary climate diversity: oceanic Cfb on the green Cantabrian coast encompassing Bilbao, Santander, and Galicia; hot Mediterranean Csa across the eastern and southern coasts including Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia, and Málaga; cool Mediterranean Csb on the Meseta and Castile with Madrid and Burgos; cold semi-arid BSk in the central plain and eastern Aragón, Navarre, and La Mancha; hot semi-arid BSh in southeastern Almería—the only true desert in continental Europe—and subtropical BSh to Cfa in the Canary Islands.

Madrid on the central Meseta averages 6°C in January and 26°C in July with 420 mm of winter-concentrated rainfall. Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast records 10°C in January and 25°C in July with 590 mm, while Bilbao in the oceanic north shows 9°C and 20°C with 1,140 mm.

Seville in the Guadalquivir basin is the hottest major city, averaging 11°C in January and 28°C in July with summer maxima frequently exceeding 45°C; the national record of 47.6°C was set at La Rambla in Córdoba province on 13 August 2021, following 47.4°C at Montoro in July 2017.

Cádiz displays mild Atlantic influence at 13°C and 25°C, Almería remains semi-arid with 12°C and 26°C on only 200 mm, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife enjoys subtropical warmth at 18°C and 25°C. The Sierra Nevada peaks sustain Europe's southernmost ski area and the continent's only remaining glacier in southern latitudes. Major climate events include the 2003 European heatwave with temperatures above 40°C across central Spain, the 2017 wildfires, the 2022 Iberian heatwave reaching 47°C, the 2023 Andalucía drought, and the October 2024 Valencia DANA flash floods.

Our archive covers 1 Spanish cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The warmest July averages occur in Madrid, around 32.1°C, while Madrid records the coldest January nights near 1°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 2°C.