ClimavisoMadrid vs Barcelona: which has less bad weather?
Averages over the last 7 complete years, from official warnings. Updated 26 October 2026.
The eternal question, weather edition. Madrid gets more warnings, nearly all from a long, hot summer; Barcelona has less heat and more sudden rain. Two cities, two kinds of bad weather.
The verdict
Less bad weather: Barcelona
Barcelona has 54 warning days a year; Madrid, 65. In other words, Madrid gets a warning on about 11 more days a year. It also has fewer serious warnings: 9.4 orange or red days a year, against 16. Madrid is mostly heat and storms; Barcelona, rain and storms.
Head to head
| Madrid | Barcelona | |
|---|---|---|
| Warning days a year | 65 | 54 |
| Orange or red days a year | 16 | 9.4 |
| Red days (last 7 years) | 5 | 5 |
| Heat (days a year) | 36 | 4.3 |
| Rain (days a year) | 13 | 39 |
| Storms (days a year) | 14 | 22 |
| Wind (days a year) | 6.0 | 10 |
| Cold and snow (days a year) | 8.1 | 0.4 |
| Fog (days a year) | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Quietest month | February | February |
| Busiest month | July | September |
| Heat warning starts at | 36 °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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid | 7.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 8.9 | 16 | 16 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Barcelona | 2.4 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 7.4 | 10 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
Warning days in each month, average over the last 7 years.
By season
- Winter: Barcelona (8.4 warning days) against Madrid (10).
- Spring: Madrid (5.9 warning days) against Barcelona (9.3).
- Summer: Barcelona (15 warning days) against Madrid (41).
- Autumn: Madrid (8.4 warning days) against Barcelona (21).
If you're going to live in one of them
- If you'd rather avoid heat: Barcelona is better, with 4.3 warning days a year against 36 in Madrid.
- If you'd rather avoid rain: Madrid is better, with 13 warning days a year against 39 in Barcelona.
- If you'd rather avoid storms: Madrid is better, with 14 warning days a year against 22 in Barcelona.
- If you'd rather avoid wind: Madrid is better, with 6.0 warning days a year against 10 in Barcelona.
- If you'd rather avoid cold and snow: Barcelona is better, with 0.4 warning days a year against 8.1 in Madrid.
Warnings are only one part: choosing where to live depends on far more than the weather.
Frequently asked questions
Which has better weather, Madrid or Barcelona?
Going by official warnings, Barcelona: 54 warning days a year against 65 in Madrid.
Where does it rain more, Madrid or Barcelona?
By rain warnings, Barcelona: 39 days a year against 13 in Madrid. Warnings only count heavy rain, not every rainy day.
Which is hotter, Madrid or Barcelona?
By heat warnings, Madrid: 36 days a year against 4.3 in Barcelona. Note: the yellow heat warning starts at 36 °C in Madrid and 34 °C in Barcelona.
When is the best time to visit Madrid and Barcelona?
If you want to dodge warnings, February in Madrid and February in Barcelona: 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.