Spain - weather in December

In December, the first winter month, the climate in Spain is moderately cold on the meseta, the inland plateau, especially in the northern part (see León, Valladolid), but also partly in Madrid, while it is mild on the coasts, both the oceanic and the Mediterranean one, as well as in the Andalusian plain (see Seville, Córdoba).
At high altitudes, in the Pyrenees and on the peaks of the other mountain ranges (the Sierras), on the other hand, there is a cold mountain climate.
Sometimes, especially in the first half of the month and in the center-south, the weather still takes on autumnal characteristics.

The average daily temperature is 4/5 °C (39/41 °F) in the northern part of the plateau (see León, Valladolid, Salamanca), it is around 7 °C (45 °F) in Madrid, 10/11 °C (50/52 °F) in Barcelona and the Balearic Islands, and 11/12 °C (52/54 °F) on the northern coast, facing the Atlantic (see La Coruña, Gijón, Santander), while it exceeds 13 °C (55 °F) on the southern coast, in Andalusia.
In the south, in periods of good weather, which are not lacking even in winter, the temperature can reach 20 °C (68 °F).

Precipitation is frequent and sometimes abundant in the north, in the Autonomous Communities facing the Atlantic (see Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country), where it exceeds 100 millimetres (4 inches) per month, while in the rest of the country it is moderate, and in some areas, such as that of Zaragoza and the southeast (see Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Almería), it is even quite rare.
In the mountains, precipitation occurs in the form of snow. There are also mountain resorts where you can ski, in the Pyrenees but also in the south, in the Sierra Nevada, thanks to the higher altitude. The ski season generally begins in the second week of December.

In the south there is a good amount of sunshine (on average, 5 hours a day or more).

During periods of stable weather, fog can form on the plateau north of Madrid, in Castile and León.

During cold waves from the North Atlantic, which are becoming rarer due to global warming, it can snow on the plateau north of Madrid, and the temperature can drop to -10 °C (14 °F), and sometimes below. More rarely, Catalonia (see Barcelona) can be affected by cold air from Eastern Europe.
On the southern coast (Costa del Sol), the temperature at night only drops to around 0 °C (32 °F) in the coldest periods.

On the Balearic Islands, especially on Menorca, the easternmost one, the tramontana, the north wind from France, blows quite often. In Zaragoza and the Ebro Valley, a cold and dry wind from the northwest, the cierzo, can blow.
In the south, the coast of Andalusia, called Costa del Sol but formerly called Costa del Viento, is quite windy, due to the westerly and easterly winds, especially on the strait that separates it from Morocco (see Tarifa).
In the north, the Atlantic coast and the Pyrenees can be swept by humid winds from the ocean.

During the month, the length of the days gradually decreases until December 21, the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In November, the day in Spain lasts on average 9 hours in the north and almost 10 hours in the far south.

The following tables show the climate averages in the month of December in Spain in a selection of locations.

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Monthly climate averages - December

(from north to south)






















See also: Spain, the weather in November - January
The climate of Spain