ClimavisoBilbao vs San Sebastián: which has less bad weather?
Averages over the last 7 complete years, from official warnings. Updated 26 October 2026.
A hundred kilometres of Basque coast apart, and their warnings look more alike than the rivalry suggests. Rain in both, yes; but heat and snow don't treat them the same.
The verdict
A virtual tie
Bilbao has 41 warning days a year and San Sebastián 43: practically the same. The difference is in the kind of bad weather. Bilbao is mostly rain and storms; San Sebastián, rain and storms.
Head to head
| Bilbao | San Sebastián | |
|---|---|---|
| Warning days a year | 41 | 43 |
| Orange or red days a year | 8.0 | 5.7 |
| Red days (last 7 years) | 9 | 4 |
| Heat (days a year) | 9.7 | 3.3 |
| Rain (days a year) | 21 | 29 |
| Storms (days a year) | 15 | 12 |
| Wind (days a year) | 6.4 | 11 |
| Cold and snow (days a year) | 4.4 | 0.9 |
| Quietest month | February | February |
| Busiest month | June | June |
| Heat warning starts at | 34 °C | 34 °C |
In bold, the city with fewer warnings in each row. A day with several warning types counts in each.
Month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilbao | 4.1 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 7.9 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 2.1 |
| San Sebastián | 4.0 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 5.7 | 2.7 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 3.7 |
Warning days in each month, average over the last 7 years.
By season
- Winter: Bilbao (8.0 warning days) against San Sebastián (9.3).
- Spring: Bilbao (5.7 warning days) against San Sebastián (7.1).
- Summer: San Sebastián (14 warning days) against Bilbao (17).
- Autumn: Bilbao (10 warning days) against San Sebastián (13).
If you're going to live in one of them
- If you'd rather avoid heat: San Sebastián is better, with 3.3 warning days a year against 9.7 in Bilbao.
- If you'd rather avoid rain: Bilbao is better, with 21 warning days a year against 29 in San Sebastián.
- If you'd rather avoid storms: San Sebastián is better, with 12 warning days a year against 15 in Bilbao.
- If you'd rather avoid wind: Bilbao is better, with 6.4 warning days a year against 11 in San Sebastián.
- If you'd rather avoid cold and snow: San Sebastián is better, with 0.9 warning days a year against 4.4 in Bilbao.
Warnings are only one part: choosing where to live depends on far more than the weather.
Frequently asked questions
Which has better weather, Bilbao or San Sebastián?
Going by warnings, they're almost tied: 41 warning days a year in Bilbao and 43 in San Sebastián.
Where does it rain more, Bilbao or San Sebastián?
By rain warnings, San Sebastián: 29 days a year against 21 in Bilbao. Warnings only count heavy rain, not every rainy day.
Which is hotter, Bilbao or San Sebastián?
By heat warnings, Bilbao: 9.7 days a year against 3.3 in San Sebastián. The yellow heat warning starts at 34 °C in both.
When is the best time to visit Bilbao and San Sebastián?
If you want to dodge warnings, February in Bilbao and February in San Sebastián: their quietest months.
Each zone has its own thresholds: the same heat or rain can trigger a warning in one city and not in the other. A warning is a forecast that the zone's threshold will be crossed, not damage or a measurement. Here we compare how often each city was warned.