What will the weather be like in Spain over Easter?

The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) is not ruling out some rain in Spain this coming Easter week, which this year falls between Sunday March 20 and Monday March 28. The first weekend of the holiday, from March 18 to March 20, is the most likely to be affected, but the agency will fine-tune its forecast as the dates draw closer.

March 18 and 19

“There is quite a lot of uncertainty regarding these two days, and rainfall cannot be ruled out in any part of the peninsula, the Balearics and the northern Canary Islands, although in general it would be light rain,” says the AEMET weather service on its website.

Over the last 35 years, the period ranging from March 20 to 28 has been highly variable in terms of both rainfall and temperature

The risk of a downpour on these dates is greater around the Iberian System mountain range – which straddles 500 kilometers from Burgos in Castilla y León to Castellón in the Valencia region – in northeastern Catalonia and in the Balearic Islands.

In the northern half of Spain, rain could turn into snow at high altitudes, adds the report.

Temperatures will likely rise in northeastern Spain and the Balearics, and drop in the southwest of the peninsula and in the Canaries.

March 20, 21 and 22

There is also a chance of rain on these three days, particularly on Sunday. Temperatures are on that day set to rise across the peninsula and in the Balearics.

Over the last 35 years, the period ranging from March 20 to 28 has been highly variable in terms of both rainfall and temperature.

An AEMET study that looked at the weather between 1981 and 2015 shows the average temperature at this time of the year was 12ºC to 14ºC in southern Spain and around 8ºC in northern Spain. Cloudy skies prevailed most years.

This historical analysis also shows a pattern of three to four days of rain between March 20 and 28 on most of these years. However, the study is not a forecast of what to expect this coming Easter, weather experts note.

English version by Susana Urra.