Does it snow in Spain?

Spain is the country of delicious seafood, paradise-like beaches, old castles, and their unmistakable music. But you know what else is incredible about them? Spain is the most climatically diverse country in whole Europe.

Yes, that’s right! Spain isn’t all sunny days and cool summer nights, they have so many different sub climates along the whole country that it’s going to be quite a ride describing them all, so let’s dive right in.

❄ Does it snow in Spain? 🇪🇸

⛅ Climate of Spain

Like we just said, Spain has multiple different climates coexisting right between this country’s borders, which makes it kinda hard to describe Spain as a single weather kinda country. That being said, we are going to focus on the 5 main climates you can find in this country.

Hot mediterranean climate

The first one is the hot mediterranean climate, which of course, is represented by very hot summer days and mild cold winter nights.

Warm-summer mediterranean climate

Then there’s warm-summer mediterranean climate, which is similar to the one above, with the exception days do tend to be a bit colder than the hot mediterranean weather.

Warm-summer continental climate

The warm-summer continental climate takes over a good chunk of the country and makes people experience semi hot days, with some relatively cold nights as well.

Oceanic climate

Oceanic climate represent by being even colder, specially during the winter, when snows makes its first annual appearance.

Semi-arid climate

Meanwhile semi-arid climate, like the name states it, is way hotter.

🌨 When does it snow in Spain?

Now, let’s get into the interesting part. Yes, Spain has many different climates depending on the region of the country, but, when does it snow? How do you know when you’ll get some snow?

Well, Spain as many other countries in Europe has four seasons: winter, spring, fall and, of course, summer time. They have a pretty regular temperature all through summer, spring and fall; however, things quickly change when it’s winter time.

The tricky thing about spring and fall in Spain is that the both tend to overlap very often, meaning there’s minimal changes in the temperature when going from one season into the other.

Now, as to when does it snow in Spain, it does during the winter season, which happens from December to March, having its peak during January, which happens to be the coldest month of the year.

This mean snow season really starts off during January, and can luckily last all the way up to March if the temperatures are low enough for this to happen.

Of course, this carries another important question about whether or not it snows during Christmas time, and the answer is: sometimes. It really depends on the temperature if it will snow during Christmas time, so you have to be prepared for whatever happens.

🌨 Where does it snow in Spain?

The most common place where you’ll find snow during the winter time are the mountainous regions of the country, like Sierra Nevada. Also, regions like Navarre tend to experience a lot of snow during the winter season as well.

Then, you’ve got the places that don’t get as much snow, but at least get their fair amount every year. These places are some towns of Andalucia, the city of Madrid and even Salamanca, although these two don't typically experience too much snow.

Keep in mind that, yes, not all of Spain gets snow due to the fact their weather is too dry to actually get too much snow during winter time. However, when winter season is specially cold, you can expect several feet of snow in all the places we mentioned above.

☃ How much does it snow in Spain?

To know how much snow Spain gets every year, we have to divide the country into several different regions. First, you have Northeast Spain, where places like Pamplona and Zaragoza get about 28 to 30 inches of snow a year.

Then, moving to Northwest Spain, where places like Lugo or Cangas del Narcea are located, get about 35 inches of snow a year. Last, but not least, you’ve got Central Spain and Southern Spain getting about of 15 to 7 inches of snow a year.

⛷ Skiing in Spain

Of course, Spain has one of the most beautiful places to go skiing to, and if you happen to be in the country during the winter/snow season, here are three places you should definitely check out!

Sierra Nevada

We mentioned this place not to long ago, and now we’re doing it again just because it is one of the places that gets the most snow during the year in Spain, which makes it the perfect place to go skiing for a while!

Benasque

Located in between of Posets-Maladeta nature reserve, this particular skiing spot is perfect for those who enjoy having amazing views and being close to picturesque towns!

La molina

Are you up to do some risky snow sports? Are you an adrenaline junky? Then this is the right place for you! The amazing snow slopes, the incredible circuits and the breathtaking view make La Molina a top spot for everyone that loves skiing.

And that’s it! Now that you know everything about Spain climate and where does it snow (and when) you’re ready to go and have an adventure of a lifetime!