Climate - Fuenterrabia (Basque Country)

The climate of Fuenterrabía is temperate oceanic, with mild, rainy winters and pleasantly warm summers.
The city (called Hondarribia in Basque) is located in the extreme north-east of Spain and of the Basque Country, at the mouth of the Bidasoa River, beyond which lies the French city of Hendaye. Not far to the north-east are the cities of Bayonne and Biarritz. Just south of Fuenterrabía we find the Basque city of Irún.
The wind blows frequently from the ocean, and can be strong, especially in the cold half of the year. On the other hand, the warm and dry southerly wind, which descends from the Cantabrian Mountains, can cause sudden increases in temperature due to the foehn effect.
Although the climate is mild, cold waves in winter are more intense than in the rest of the northern Spanish coast, due to its proximity to France. In addition, the rains are particularly abundant.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 8.9 °C (48 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 21.5 °C (71 °F). Here are the average temperatures at the airport (which is also the airport of the city of San Sebastián).

Precipitation amounts to 1,650 millimeters (65 inches) per year: it is therefore abundant. It ranges from 85 mm (3.3 in) in the driest month (July) to 190 mm (7.5 in) in the wettest (November). The rains are more abundant than in the rest of the Spanish north coast. To find other cities so rainy, you have to go to the west coast of Galicia (see Pontevedra, Vigo). Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is mild and rainy. Atlantic disturbances regularly pass over northern Spain, bringing rain and cloudy skies.
With the wind from the south, the temperature can exceed 20 °C (68 °F) even in the middle of winter.
There may also be cold spells, although they are quite rare. Generally, on the coldest nights of the year, there are only slight frosts, but sometimes it can get very cold. In February 1956, the temperature dropped to -13 °C (8.5 °F), while in January 1985, it dropped to -12 °C (10.5 °F). From 2000 to 2020, it dropped to -7 °C (19.5 °F) in December 2001 and to -5.5 °C (22 °F) in February 2012.
Snow is rare, however, from time to time, the beaches can be whitened by snow, as happened in February 1996 and February 2018.

The summer, from June to August or mid-September, is pleasantly warm, with some cool days, and others warmer. The rains are quite frequent even in this season, and the sun doesn't shine very often.
Occasionally, the southerly wind can bring intense heat, usually only for a day or two. On the hottest days of the year, the temperature typically reaches 35 °C (95 °F), but can sometimes reach 38/40 °C (100/104 °F). In July 2020, with 42 °C (107.5 °F), the previous record was broken, 40.5 °C (105 °F) dating back to July 1995.



On average, there are around 1,740 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea temperature ranges between 12 °C (54 °F) and 22 °C (72 °F). The sea is cool even in summer, although it is a little less cool than in Galicia and Asturias. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit Fuenterrabía is from June to mid-September, since it is the mildest and least rainy of the year.
To go to the beach, the preferable months are July and August (and the beginning of September if the weather is good).

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