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Average temperatures in Barcelona Rainfall and humidity in Barcelona Sunshine hours in Barcelona The weather seasons and climate Sea and beach water temperatures Snow and ice Weather forecast links Webcams
Average temperatures in Barcelona
These are the average temperatures for Barcelona
If anyone thinks that the temperatures above seem a bit low for Barcelona and Spain, then remember that these are average temperatures and measured in the shade.
All official temperatures, including the ones that you read in weather forecasts and see on TV, are measured in the shade.
The reason for measuring temperature in the shade is that, if you are standing in direct sunlight, then it will feel much hotter, because what you are feeling is the air temperature AND the heat radiation caused by the direct light of the sun.
The same applies to a thermometer. It will give a higher reading in the sun than in the shade. Because the level of sunlight can vary a lot depending on the time of day, cloud cover etc, temperatures are always measured in the shade and out of the wind, so that the thermometer only reads the temperature of the air around it.
Rainfall & humidity in Barcelona
The amount of rain that we get in the winter in Barcelona is much less than northern Europe, and it it really doesn't feel like it rains very often, even in the winter.
It is rare in Barcelona to have many consecutive cloudy or rainy days like one often sees in the northern Europe. Most days in Barcelona the whole year round are sunny and bright.
Humidity levels in Barcelona are generally high and can become quite unbearable in July and August.
Here are the average levels:
Sunshine hours in Barcelona
Aside from the food, people, sports etc.. the sunshine is a big attraction of living in Barcelona and without question a factor that makes life here feel more agreeable than living in northern European countries.
It's not as if Barcelona is hot all year round, but the summers are always long and hot and the winters are always mild and bright. barcelona gets 2500 hours of sunshine a year on average. That's an average of 7 hours a day!
In recent years since 2004, we have had even less rain than usual in Barcelona and Catalonia during the winter which is perhaps too much of a good thing.
Low rainfall causes sinking water levels in reservoirs and increases in forest fires.
The good news is that Barcelona is on the forefront of solar energy and was one of the first cities in Europe to introduce special legislation concerning the use of solar energy. The Solar Ordinance law, which came into force in August 2000, applies to newly built, rehabilitated and fully renovated buildings.
This law make the use of solar energy compulsary for 60% of sanitary hot water supplies. This regulation applies to buildings intended for residential, health-care, sports, commercial and industrial use and, generally, any activity involving the existence of dining rooms, kitchens, laundries or other circumstances that lead to a large consumption of hot water.
The weather seasons and climate in Barcelona We do have 4 seasons in Barcelona and they tend to follow the rest of Europe seasonal calendar. The difference is that our seasons are more reliable. Every year in Barcelona almost without fail we can expect 6 months of warm dry weather from the beginning of May until the end of September.
May, June and September are usually the months with the highest numbers of sunshine hours sometimes up to 13-14 hours a day.
July and August are the hottest months, which is why the Mediterranean countries traditionally take the whole month off and go on holidaym because it is simply too hot to work. Temperatues can reach 40°C (= 105°F)
You will often hear that Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate, but what does that mean?
Many of us think that this means hot weather all year round, but that is not the case.
A Mediterranean climate is a dry summer subtropical climate. This generally means very little rainfall, except for an occasional huge thunderstorm, during the 2 to 6 months of spring and summer, with most of the rain falling during winter months.
In other words the weather in Barcelona has long hot and dry summers and mild winters with some rainfall.
Sea temperatures for Barcelona beaches and coasts
You can swim comfortably off the beaches of Barcelona for around 4 months of the year. The sea swimming season is usually from mid June until the end September and mid October is probably the last chance to swim in the sea without changing colour to a blueish tint.
Then the water gets too cold and surfers have it all to themselves in their wet-suits. Click on the links below for Barcelona beach weather forecasts and beach water and sea water temperatures.
The city of Barcelona does get a light dusting of snow about once a year on average, so that is quite rare, but we do get quiet a few icy nights especially up in the hills behind the city. There is even a city plan of action called '"Operació Fred dEmergčncia" which is ready to deal with icy road conditions.
This consisted ( for January 2007) of thirteen salt spreaders and five snow ploughs on the alert for any significant snowfall. In addition a total of 94 salt bins were distributed around the higher parts of the city, in the districts of Les Corts, Grącia, Sarrią-Sant Gervasi, Horta-Guinardó and Nou Barris so that residents could salt pavements etc.
For the homeless, municipal shelters are made ready in case the temperature drops to freezing levels and emergency teams of city aid workers and Red Cross (Creu Roja) volunteers around the city keep a watch for homeless people and offer them a place in a shelter.
If you are a skiing or snowboarding fan, then head for the Pyrenees mountains where there is an abundance of snow and ice at the many ski resorts near Barcelona in the Catalan/Spanish and French Pyrenees.
