Climate - Puerto Navacerrada (Spain)

In the Puerto de Navacerrada there is a cold mountain climate, with cold, snowy winters and cool, sunny summers. However, at the same altitude, the climate is less cold than in the Pyrenees or the Alps.
The town of Navacerrada is located about 40 km (25 mi) north-west of Madrid and at an altitude of 1,200 meters, near the dam of the same name, and has a slightly colder climate than Madrid. The Puerto de Navacerrada is a mountain pass that hosts a ski resort, and is located a few kilometers to the north, at almost 1,900 meters (6,200 ft) above sea level. We are in the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountain range north of Madrid. The station is located on the mountain ridge, between the highest (and easternmost) peak of the Siete Picos (2,138 meters or 7,014 feet above sea level) and the Bola del Mundo (2,265 meters or 7,431 feet). However, the highest peak of the Sierra de Guadarrama is Peñalara, 2,428 meters (7,966 ft) high.
In the weather station, at 1,890 meters (6,200 feet), the average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -0.5 °C (31 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 17 °C (63 °F). Here are the average temperatures.

Precipitation amounts to 1,225 millimeters (48.2 inches) per year: it is therefore quite abundant. It ranges from 25 mm (1 in) in the driest months (July, August) to 175 mm (6.9 in) in the wettest (November). Snowfalls typically occur from November to April, and can sometimes be abundant. Here is the average precipitation.

Winter is cold, with average temperatures close to freezing. There are periods of bad weather, with snowfalls that can sometimes be heavy. Fog often forms.
There are very cold periods, in which the temperature remains below freezing even during the day. During cold spell, it can drop to -15 °C (5 °F) or even below. The cold record is -20.3 °C (-4.5 °F), recorded in December 1963.
However, there are also mild and sunny periods, in which the temperature reaches 10 °C (50 °F), and sometimes even 15 °C (59 °F).

In summer, temperatures are generally mild. The sun often shines, although rains and thunderstorms can occur, more often than in Madrid.
During heat waves, when the temperature reaches 40 °C (104 °F) in Madrid, here it reaches 28/30 °C (82/86 °F). The highest record is 32 °C (89.5 °F), recorded in late June 2019.
However, it can sometimes get cold even in summer. For example, on July 1, 2017, the minimum temperature was 0.5 °C (33 °F).



On average, there are around 2,275 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

Best Time

Puerto de Navacerrada can be visited in winter for skiing, and in summer for trekking and to escape the heat of Madrid and the Spanish plateau. In the peaks above 2,000 meters (6,500 ft), there may still be snow in June.