Weather

General

This region has an excellent all year round climate for holidaymakers who like guaranteed sunshine. Spring and autumn are lovely seasons - midday temperatures are often reach 20ºC In July and August the temperature regularly reaches 30ºc to 35º and often more inland. People (mostly tourists!) sunbathe and even swim all year round even on sunny winter or autumn days. A Mediterranean climate (hot, dry summers with mild winters) dominates the weather in this region, although there are slight regional variations between the coast and inland. For example in Benidorm in the winter, the average maximum temperature is 18º C and in summer 32ºC. The sun shines every year for nearly 3,000 hours on the coast and average temperatures vary between 24- 32º C in summer and 12-20º C in winter.

The region can de divided into 3 distinct climate areas:

The coastal areas: the climate here is typically mild winters and hot summers. The summer temperatures don’t get as hot as in the inland areas thanks to the sea breezes. That said, it can easily reach 40ºC and doesn’t often fall below 30. These hot temperatures can run from May to September, although it’s very common to see tourists enjoying the beach and the sea in winter on popular beaches, such as Playa de San Juan, El Postiguet etc. The water is warm and safe and on the whole the weather is dry. Temperatures in winter very rarely go below freezing and tend to be between 10-15ºC. There’s not very much rain except in the areas in Valencia’s southern districts.

The interior: Here there are cold winters with frequent frosts, and hot summers. Inland the temperatures vary according to height above sea level; there is an average of 11ºC in the Sierras del Maestrazgo, Gúdar y Javalambre. The temperatures are milder in the area of Requena-Utiel (13ºC) and get up to 14-15ºC as you move further from the mountains towards to coast. Temperatures reach an annual average of 17ºC in the extreme south of the region. On the interior plateau temperatures are more extreme, both in summer and in winter. Although the days are hotter than on the coast, it cools down more at night. The rainfall is infrequent, especially in the arid province of Alicante (in the south of the Valencia region), where fewer than 300 litres of rain fall a year.

The mountains: The summers are cooler and the winters are very cold. Areas above 600m are often covered in snow in the winter months. It sometimes even snows on the inland plateau, although it never snows on the coast.

If you’re thinking of coming in autumn (particularly September and October), you should be aware that there are sometimes torrential rains which can cause rivers to overflow and roads to be closed. This is as a result of the so called gota fría (literally the “cold drop”), which is caused by the difference in temperature between the Mediterranean Sea, which cools down slowly and the land, which cools down more quickly. They usually only last a few days.

Vegetation and wildlife

Each area’s climactic and geographical conditions are suitable to different vegetation and wildlife. Here’s a summary of what you can expect to find.

With thanks to Emilio Requena for writing this guide