Spain Climate
Top 5 Cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Zaragoza
This month in numbers
Spain experienced its 10th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 13.17°C, which is 2.3°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was the 18th warmest on record for Spain, with an average temperature of 10.33°C, 1.6°C above the baseline.
What changed
Spain's recent warmth follows a trend of unusually high temperatures. The country's average temperature for 2025 was 15.08°C, making it the 3rd warmest year on record. The long-term trend shows a significant warming of +1.74°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This April's warmth saw Spain rank 99th out of 234 regions globally for its 1-month temperature anomaly, and 126th for the 3-month anomaly. Europe as a whole also experienced a warm April, with a group mean anomaly of +2.48°C, making Spain slightly cooler than the continental average for the month.
What’s driving change?
The current climate is influenced by a Neutral ENSO state, with an anomaly of +0.11°C. However, forecasts indicate a strong likelihood of an El Niño developing from May onwards, with probabilities reaching 87% by July-August-September. El Niño typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Mediterranean during summer, amplifying the risk of heatwaves and wildfires, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain has already experienced an early arrival of heatwave-like conditions, with temperatures rising sooner than expected this year. This unseasonal warmth could signal a challenging summer ahead, raising concerns over water shortages and wildfire risks. There was also a flood event in Spain from April 28 to May 4, 2026, which represents 100% of the flood events logged for Spain over the past 12 months, indicating an unusual concentration of such an event. More information on extreme weather can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
With a strong El Niño phase forecast to develop in the coming months, Spain should prepare for a summer that may arrive sooner, feel hotter, and last longer than expected, with an increased risk of heatwaves and drier conditions.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Spain
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Spain changing?
Spain is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Spain come from?
Climate data for Spain comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Spain climate data cover?
The Spain climate profile covers Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Spain
How often is the Spain climate update refreshed?
The Spain climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.