The climate of Spain is highly diverse and varies considerably across the country's various regions. Spain is the most climatically diverse country in Europe with 13 different Köppen climates.^[1][2][3]

The four most dominant climates in the country include: The hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa), the warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb), the steppe climate (BSh and BSk) and the oceanic climate (Cfb).^[4]

The average annual temperature in the mainland varies from less than 2.5 °C (36.5 °F) in the north of the Pyrenees, close to the border with France, to more than 20 °C (68 °F). on a small region of Mediterranean coast on Almeria and Granada provinces.^[5][6] The annual average precipitation ranges from more than 2,200 millimetres (87 in) on the northwest of Galicia and in the Pyrenees near San Sebastian to less than 200 millimetres (7.9 in) in southeastern Spain in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.^[7]

In the Canary Islands, annual average temperature varies from less than 10 °C (50 °F) in the highest altitude area of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to more than 21.5 °C (70.7 °F) on lower areas of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, while the average annual precipitation ranges from more than 1,000 millimetres (39 in) on the highest altitudes of La Palma to less than 100 millimetres (3.9 in) in parts of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.^[7]

Spain, like other countries of the Mediterranean Basin, is vulnerable to climate change, with greater risk of heatwaves and dry weather.^[8]

Zones

Five main climatic zones can be distinguished, according to the country's Köppen-Geiger climate classification and orographic conditions:^[9][10][11]

• The hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) which is also characterized by dry and warm/hot summers and cool to mild and wet winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, this climate is dominant on the Iberian Peninsula, particularly the variety with summer droughts, covering all but the far northern part of the country where the Oceanic climate predominates. The hot-summer Mediterranean climate covers coastal areas (excluding the northern Atlantic coast and southeast Mediterranean coast), the Guadalquivir river basin and the lower reaches of the Tagus and Guadiana basins to the west of the country. It also extends to parts of the interior of the Valencian Community, Castilla-La-Mancha and Catalonia.^[4]
• The warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) which predominates in parts of northwestern Spain and mostly inland in central-northern Spain at altitudes above 900-1000 masl.
• The steppe climate (BSh and BSk) is predominant in the south eastern part of the country (Almeria province in Eastern Andalusia, Murcia region and Alicante province in Southern Valencia) and in the middle reaches of the Ebro valley to the north east (Zaragoza province), reaching as far west as southern Navarre. It is also present in large areas of the central table lands (primarily in Madrid and in the La Mancha region which includes parts of Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Toledo provinces) and some of the driest areas of Extremadura. In contrast to the Mediterranean climate, the sunny season continues beyond the end of summer and the vegetation is less dense.
• The oceanic climate (Cfb) is located in the northern part of the country, especially in the regions of Galicia, Basque Country, Asturias, Cantabria, and Navarre. This region has regular snowfall in the winter months.

Apart from the four main climate zones, other noticeable sub-zones can be found, such as the humid subtropical climate in large areas in the northern half of Catalonia going down to Barcelona, the province of Huesca and northern Navarre. The warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) which can be found in many areas in north-eastern Spain, in areas starting with altitudes above 1000-1100 masl. It can be found also in some areas in the Cantabrian Mountains and the highest areas of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range in central-eastern Spain. The dry continental climates all across Spain in the highest areas (notably in the Sierra Nevada and the highest areas in central-northern Spain), the alpine climate and the Subarctic climate in the higher areas of northern Spain's various mountain ranges (notably the Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees) and a hot desert climate in the southeastern coastline, on Almeria and Murcia provinces. Hot desert climates and hot semi-desert climates can also be found in the Canary Islands, most notably on the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, but also in the coastal areas of Gran Canaria and in the south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. On the remaining islands, this climate is also present, but in a much smaller portion. In the coastal areas of the Canary Islands, there are some regions that are influenced by a tropical climate, as the average temperature in the coldest month is above 18 °C (64 °F).^[7]

Hot summer Mediterranean climate

The hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) is found in many parts of Spain's Mediterranean coast, from the border with Portugal to the middle of the province of Granada. Then it starts in Calpe, and goes to the border with France (with some exceptions such as the city of Valencia). It also extends inland in Andalusia and Extremadura. It is characterized by hot, dry summers and mild winters with infrequent frosts.^[12] The summers are hot, the winters are mild and most of precipitation falls in the autumn. Examples of cities with Csa climate are Málaga, Barcelona, Palma or Seville.

Warm summer Mediterranean climate

The Csb warm-summer Mediterranean climate is found in parts of Galicia and the western areas of Castilla y Leon. Coastal Mediterranean region is marked by Leveche winds: hot, dry, easterly or southeasterly air currents that originate over North Africa. Periods of these winds, which sometimes carry fine Saharan dust, are more common in spring and are associated with a sudden, usually short-lived, increase in temperature. A cooler easterly wind, the Levante, funnels between the Sistema Penibetico and the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. These easterly winds are the ones which most influence the Mediterranean climate.^{[citation needed]} The most populous city with Csb climate in Spain is Vigo. Other cities with this climate are Ávila, León and Salamanca.

It is characterised by year-round mild temperatures with drier summer months, often resulting in moderate drought conditions with at least one month per year usually recording less than 40 mm (1.6 in). This is a characteristic which distinguishes Galicia from a typical Cfb climate. Annual rainfall is higher than in the eastern and southern regions, usually ranging from 800 to 2,000 mm (31.5 to 78.7 in).^[15] Not all Galicia has a Csb climate, most of the north and central mountains have a typical oceanic Cfb. Some valleys in the south are classified as Hot-summer Mediterranean (Csa), like the comarca of O Condado, the city of Ourense or O Ribeiro.^[16]

In North-West Castile, the climate is classified also as Csb because the temperatures of summer are cooler due to the altitude.