Does it Rain in Spain or is it always a Sunny and Bright Country?
October 5, 2022
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The region of Galicia would be glad to answer your question…
Spain’s climate varies depending on the region, so be prepared because you can find a bit of everything anywhere. For example, the climate is not the same in Galicia as in Murcia, and, in the same way, it happens worldwide.
Still, the right question must be: where and how much does it rain in Spain? Isn’t it? Because it is definitely not the same comparing a city where it rains the whole day but in a small amount with a town where it never rains, but when it does, the city floods!
Some exceptional cases have occurred, and we have registered some crazy amount of rain in our country. So, to explain and clarify doubts, I have researched The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) and Statista databases to see how rainfall distributes around Spain, and I hope to deliver you some valuable info!!
If you’d like to get familiarized with this topic, I suggest you read this article first:
But if you are ready, grab your umbrella because this might get slippery.
Table of Contents ▼ ▶
1. How much does it Rain in Spain?
Spain has an average annual rainfall of 600 to 800 liters per square meter. However, precipitations are irregular and vary depending on the city or region.
It’s in San Sebastián where it rains more days a year, about 187 days on average. Sounds like a lot, right? I would say they need to go out with umbrellas more than half of the days of the whole year.
Still, it is a beautiful Northern Spain city located in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.
I have some articles about Spain’s territorial organization and gorgeous towns in the north with breathtaking views!! Here they are:
- Cities in Northern Spain: 8 locations and best spots to visit
- The Best City in Spain According to your Different Needs
Average Monthly Rainfall in Spain
| Month | Rainfall in Millimeters |
|---|---|
| January | 70.7 |
| February | 9 |
| March | 91.5 |
| April | 91.1 |
| May | 54.4 |
| June | 34.2 |
| July | 13.8 |
| August | 27.3 |
| September | 37 |
| October | 69.4 |
| November | 69.1 |
| December | 73.7 |
Cities ranked by days it rains
| Cities | Days of rain a year |
|---|---|
| San Sebastián | 141.1 |
| Santiago de Compostela | 139.5 |
| Pontevedra | 131.3 |
| A Coruña | 129.6 |
| Vigo | 129.2 |
| Lugo | 126.3 |
| Bilbao | 124 |
| Santander | 123.6 |
| Oviedo | 122.3 |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 99.3 |
| Ourense | 96.9 |
| Pamplona | 93.5 |
| Burgos | 83.5 |
| Soria | 78.8 |
| Segovia | 78.6 |
| León | 74.9 |
| Guadalajara | 74.1 |
| Cuenca | 71.2 |
| Valladolid | 68.5 |
| Ávila | 66.9 |
| Logroño | 66.6 |
| Girona | 65.8 |
| Cáceres | 64.2 |
| Zamora | 64.2 |
| Salamanca | 63.8 |
| Menorca | 63.6 |
| Huesca | 60.7 |
| Madrid | 59.4 |
| Ciudad Real | 59.3 |
| Badajoz | 59.2 |
| Teruel | 57.4 |
| Córdoba | 56.6 |
| Toledo | 53.8 |
| Barcelona | 53.3 |
| Palma, Mallorca | 53.1 |
| Granada | 52.1 |
| Huelva | 51.5 |
| Zaragoza | 51.1 |
| Cádiz | 50.7 |
| Sevilla | 50.5 |
| Albacete | 50.4 |
| Tarragona | 50.3 |
| Lleida | 46.2 |
| Jaén | 46 |
| Castellón | 45.5 |
| Valencia | 43.9 |
| Málaga | 42.3 |
| Alicante | 37.5 |
| Murcia | 36.5 |
| Tenerife | 29.7 |
2. How much does it rain per season
- Madrid
The chance of wet days in Madrid varies throughout the year. It has 63 days of rain each year of approx 17.16 inches.
The wetter season lasts 8.4 months, from October to June, with a greater than 14% chance of a given day being a wet day. And the month with the wettest days in Madrid is May, with an average of 6.6 days with at least 1 millimeter of precipitation.
On the other hand, the drier season lasts 3.6 months, from June to October. The month with the fewest wet days in Madrid is July, with an average of 1.8 days with at least 1 millimeter of precipitation. Madrid’s wettest month is May, with an average of 6.6 days.
| Madrid | Days of Rain |
|---|---|
| Winter | 21 |
| Spring | 21 |
| Summer | 8 |
| Fall | 21 |
- Barcelona
In Barcelona, the annual average of rainy days is 90 days. Still, full days of rain are less common to see in this city… and neither are several rainy days in a row. I mean, if you visit Barcelona in summer, for example, and it rains, it can be intense but short, and the sun will shine within a few minutes.
| Barcelona | Days of Rain |
|---|---|
| Winter | 16 |
| Spring | 18 |
| Summer | 10 |
| Fall | 18 |
- Valencia
Valencia has 44 days of rain in a year of 17.8 inches. The month with the most precipitation in the city is October, with an average of 1.73 inches of rain.
| Valencia | Days of Rain |
|---|---|
| Winter | 11 |
| Spring | 12 |
| Summer | 6 |
| Fall | 12 |
- Sevilla
“La Lluvia en Sevilla es una Maravilla” (I’ll translate that later, don’t worry) So, in Sevilla, precipitations are between 19.68 to 23.62 inches, concentrated from October to April, with December being the rainiest month.
| Sevilla | Days of Rain |
|---|---|
| Winter | 22 |
| Spring | 15 |
| Summer | 3 |
| Fall | 18 |
- Canary Islands
The Canary Islands has many different areas. It’s not very common to see rain in Lanzarote, and there are about 16 days of rain a year (mainly in the north and winter), and it’s one of the driest places in Canarias.
In Gran Canaria, there are about 26 days of rain per year. And we can see it in the interior and the north of the island, and even snow on higher peaks in winter. Then we have Tenerife, where it rains around 31 days a year and is more frequent in winter and inland areas. And lastly, we have La Palma, where it rains an average of 22 days a year and reaches its peak in winter and spring.
| Canary Islands | Days of Rain |
|---|---|
| Winter | 15 |
| Spring | 5 |
| Summer | 0 |
| Fall | 11 |
- Balearic Islands (Mallorca)
Rainfall is generally not abundant since it amounts to 15.5 to 17.5 inches per year on the coast and follows the Mediterranean pattern. Therefore, it is more common in autumn and winter and gradually drops during spring, reaching a low in summer, when it rarely rains (although the table might appear otherwise, it only rains between 0.5 and 1.5 inches)
| Mallorca | Days of Rain |
|---|---|
| Winter | 23 |
| Spring | 20 |
| Summer | 11 |
| Fall | 21 |
3. Rain in Spain compared to other cities around the world
| Cities | Rainy days a year |
|---|---|
| New York, United States | 125 |
| London, United Kingdom | 226 |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | 214 |
| Los Angeles, California | 35 |
| Stockholm, Sweden | 164 |
| Oslo, Norway | 232 |
4. What does “The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plane” mean?
“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plane” is a famous saying and a song from the movie My Fair Lady, in which a professor tried to explain the correct way to pronounce the diphthong “ai” in standard English.
Yes, I know it has nothing to do with our discussion here. Still, I wanted to clear that out since, at first, the slang could refer to the fact that it rarely rains in Spain.
But in reality, the rain never stays in the plain in some parts of Spain. Therefore in Sevilla, they changed it to “La Lluvia en Sevilla es una maravilla” instead of the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain. Meaning that the rain in Seville is wonderful since it is one of the dryest places in Spain.
Rain is almost a luxury in some parts of the world. And Spain is no different in that. There are areas where water has always been scarce and others where rainfall is constant, either way, we are glad for it!!!
