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Spain Climate
Peninsular Spain experiences three climatic types:
continental, maritime, and Mediterranean. The locally
generated
continental climate covers the majority of peninsular
Spain,
influencing the Meseta Central, the adjoining mountains to
the
east and the south, and the Ebro Basin. A continental
climate is
characterized by wide diurnal and seasonal variations in
temperature and by low, irregular rainfall with high rates
of
evaporation that leave the land arid. Annual rainfall
generally
is thirty to sixty-four centimeters; most of the Meseta
region
receives about fifty centimeters. The northern Meseta, the
Sistema Central, and the Ebro Basin have two rainy
seasons, one
in spring (April-June) and the other in autumn (OctoberNovember ), with late spring being the wettest time of the
year.
In the southern Meseta, also, the wet seasons are spring
and
autumn, but the spring one is earlier (March), and autumn
is the
wetter season. Even during the wet seasons, rain is
irregular and
unreliable. Continental winters are cold, with strong
winds and
high humidity, despite the low precipitation. Except for
mountain
areas, the northern foothills of the Sistema Iberico are
the
coldest area, and frost is common. Summers are warm and
cloudless, producing average daytime temperatures that
reach 21° C
in the northern Meseta and 24 to 27° C in the southern
Meseta;
nighttime temperatures range from 7 to 10 C. The Ebro
Basin, at
a lower altitude, is extremely hot during the summer, and
temperatures can exceed 43 C. Summer humidities are low
in the
Meseta Central and in the Ebro Basin, except right along
the
shores of in the Rio Ebro where humidity is high.
A maritime climate prevails in the northern part of the
country, from the Pyrenees to the northwest region,
characterized
by relatively mild winters, warm but not hot summers, and
generally abundant rainfall spread out over the year.
Temperatures vary only slightly, both on a diurnal and a
seasonal
basis. The moderating effects of the sea, however, abate
in the
inland areas, where temperatures are 9 to 18 C more
extreme
than temperatures on the coast. Distance from the Atlantic
Ocean
also affects precipitation, and there is less rainfall in
the
east than in the west. Autumn (October through December)
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 northwest coast; this phenomenon is less frequent a
short
distance inland, however, because the mountains form a
barrier
keeping out the sea moisture.
The Mediterranean climatic region extends from the
Andalusian
Plain along the southern and eastern coasts up to the
Pyrenees,
on the seaward side of the mountain ranges that parallel
the
coast. Total rainfall in this region is lower than in the
rest of
Spain, and it is concentrated in the late autumn-winter
period.
Generally, rainfall is slight, often insufficient,
irregular, and
unreliable. Temperatures in the Mediterranean region
usually are
higher in both summer and winter, and diurnal temperature
changes
are more limited than those of the continental region.
Temperatures in January normally average 10 to 13 C in
most of
the Mediterranean region, and they are 9 C colder in the
northeastern coastal area near Barcelona. In winter,
temperatures
inland in the Andalusian Plain are slightly lower than
those on
the coasts. Temperatures in July and August average 22 to
27 C
on the coast and 29 to 31 C farther inland, with low
humidity.
The Mediterranean region is marked by Leveche winds--hot,
dry,
easterly or southeasterly air currents that originate over
North
Africa. These winds, which sometimes carry fine dust, are
most
common in spring. A cooler easterly wind, the Levante,
funnels
between the Sistema Penibetico and the Atlas Mountains of
North
Africa.
Data as of December 1988
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