Weather and climate in Ourense (Galicia)

The climate of Ourense (Orense in Castilian) is almost Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located in the southwest of Galicia, about 80 km (50 miles) from the coast, in the area that in summer is the hottest and sunniest in the region.
Ourense is crossed by the river Minho (or Miño). About 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the north-east, we find the famous Sil canyon, the canyon carved by the river Sil a few kilometers before it enters the Minho.
The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 8.5 °C (47 °F), that of the warmest months (July and August) is of 23 °C (73 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 850 millimeters (33.5 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 20 mm (0.8 in) in the driest months (July, August) to 115 mm (4.5 in) in the wettest ones (October, December). Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to February, is quite mild, but it is also cloudy, rainy and windy. Although the temperature is generally not very low, wind and humidity increase the feeling of cold.
Moreover, in periods of high pressure, the temperature can drop around freezing at night, and fog can form.
Sometimes, very cold periods can occur, even though they usually don't last long. The cold record is -8.5 °C (16.5 °F) and was recorded in December 2001. In January 1985, November 1988 and March 2005, the temperature dropped to -7 °C (19.5 °F), while in February 2012, it dropped to -6 °C (21 °F).
Snow in Ourense is very rare, but sometimes it can fall. For example, it snowed with a slight accumulation in January 1987, January 2006 and January 2009. In December 1970, however, the snowfall was abundant, ranging from 20 cm (8 in) in the center to 30 cm (12 in) in the suburbs.

The summer, from June to August, is hot and sunny.
There may be cool periods, with some rains, especially in June, and the temperature can occasionally drop below 10 °C (50 °F) at night.
However, there are also very hot periods. On average, the temperature exceeds 35 °C (95 °F) for 17 days a year. The record heat is 42.5 °C (108.5 °F), recorded in August 1990. More recently, the temperature reached 42 °C (107.5 °F) in 2003, and 41.5 °C (106.5 °F) in July 2016 and August 2018.



On average, there are around 2,045 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Best Time

To visit Ourense, you can choose the periods from mid-April to mid-June and from mid-September to mid-October, to avoid the heat that can occur in summer, although in these two periods it rains more often than in summer.

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