Spain’s weather is difficult to classify because of the wide variety of climates in the peninsula:

• Atlantic or oceanic
• Continental
• Mediterranean
• Mediterranean mountain
  
   

There are marked differences between the temperatures in inland and coastal regions. In the interior, due to the continental climate, winters are very cold (with average temperatures in January between 0 and 3ºC) and summers are hot (with average temperatures in July and August around 24ºC). In contrast, on the coast winters are mild (with average January temperatures of 10ºC) and average year-round temperatures of 16 - 18ºC, especially in the Mediterranean area.

Rainfall rates also differ widely. In the north and north-west, rainfall is abundant throughout the year because of the influence of the Atlantic, with annual rates between 600 mm and 2,000 mm. The rest of Spain is predominantly dry, with annual rainfall rates below 600 mm. The south-east is semi-arid, with annual rainfall rates below 300 mm and a semi-desert landscape which in some places resembles the Sahara.

For more information, please consult the website of the Instituto Nacional de Meteorología: www.inm.es