Vía de la Plata weather: warnings stage by stage, month by month

Vía de la Plata, Sevilla to Santiago, in 39 stages. Warnings 2019–2025; updated 27 October 2026.

The Vía de la Plata climbs from Seville to Santiago along the line of an old Roman road through Extremadura, Salamanca and Zamora, and enters Galicia by the Sanabrés. It's a route of heat in summer and of cold, wind and mountain snow in winter, with somewhat fewer warnings than the Camino Francés. This is what the official warnings say, stage by stage and month by month.

April

the month with the fewest warnings

3.0 warning days walking the whole route

July

the month with the most warnings

13 warning days in 39 stages

warning zones

in 8 provinces

red days on some stage

2019 to 2025

It's a long route, from one end of the peninsula to the other: Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile and León and Galicia. Here we count, for each stage, the warning days in the zones it crosses, and add them up month by month.

By warnings, April and May are the best months to walk it. July and August are the busiest, with heat and storms along almost the whole route, and January also brings many warnings, for cold and wind.

The hardest days of the last eight years were heat days: from 12 to 14 July 2022 there was a red warning on almost every stage at once. But there have also been red days in autumn and winter, such as in October 2020, November 2025 or January 2026.

The Vía de la Plata's warning zones

AEMET doesn't warn by village but by zone. The Vía de la Plata crosses 19 warning zones, each with its own thresholds and warnings: on the same day one section can have a warning and the next none.

Fewer warnings than averageClose to averageMore warnings than average

Average warning days a year in each zone, 2019–2025, against the median of Spain's zones (54 days). Approximate route through the stages. Tap a zone to go to its page.

Walking the whole route, month by month

How many warning days you'd get, on average, walking one stage a day from Sevilla to Santiago in each month. Tap a month to see it stage by stage.

yelloworangered

9.3Jan 3.1Feb 4.0Mar 3.0Apr 3.1May 8.4Jun 13Jul 11Aug 3.9Sep 5.2Oct 4.5Nov 6.0Dec

Stage-days with a warning, average 2019–2025, over 39 stages; the colour is the day's highest level in the stage's zones.

Stage by stage, month by month

Share of days with some warning in each stage's zones, 2019–2025. The darker, the more warnings.

Stage	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1. Sevilla – Guillena	12	3	14	8	11	28	58	45	14	14	11	8
2. Guillena – Castilblanco de los Arroyos	14	3	15	9	11	28	58	46	14	15	11	9
3. Castilblanco de los Arroyos – Almadén de la Plata	7	3	12	6	4	14	29	24	7	12	8	7
4. Almadén de la Plata – El Real de la Jara	7	3	12	6	4	14	29	24	7	12	8	7
5. El Real de la Jara – Monesterio	9	3	13	7	6	17	35	28	10	14	10	9
6. Monesterio – Fuente de Cantos	5	2	7	5	4	14	31	24	7	12	5	5
7. Fuente de Cantos – Zafra	7	2	8	6	4	19	40	31	8	12	6	6
8. Zafra – Villafranca de los Barros	5	1	6	5	4	19	40	31	7	10	5	5
9. Villafranca de los Barros – Torremejía	13	3	6	9	6	24	48	42	11	11	11	12
10. Torremejía – Mérida	13	3	5	7	5	23	48	42	10	9	10	11
11. Mérida – Aljucén	13	3	5	7	5	23	48	42	10	9	10	11
12. Aljucén – Alcuéscar	18	4	6	10	6	27	51	46	13	12	12	15
13. Alcuéscar – Cáceres	11	2	6	9	5	23	47	43	11	10	8	11
14. Cáceres – Casar de Cáceres	7	1	5	7	2	16	37	29	7	7	6	7
15. Casar de Cáceres – Cañaveral	15	2	6	8	4	20	45	41	9	11	10	8
16. Cañaveral – Carcaboso	15	2	5	7	4	20	45	41	9	11	9	7
17. Carcaboso – Aldeanueva del Camino	21	6	15	14	6	23	45	45	13	18	17	14
18. Aldeanueva del Camino – Baños de Montemayor	12	6	15	13	5	21	43	42	13	18	14	11
19. Baños de Montemayor – Fuenterroble de Salvatierra	27	12	22	14	8	25	45	43	14	18	18	13
20. Fuenterroble de Salvatierra – San Pedro de Rozados	46	17	19	10	9	21	30	25	10	16	15	25
21. San Pedro de Rozados – Salamanca	39	11	10	6	8	20	29	24	6	10	9	20
22. Salamanca – El Cubo de Tierra del Vino	42	13	11	7	10	29	34	27	7	12	12	25
23. El Cubo de Tierra del Vino – Zamora	39	11	8	6	9	29	32	26	7	9	10	23
24. Zamora – Montamarta	39	11	8	6	9	29	32	26	7	9	10	23
25. Montamarta – Granja de Moreruela	39	11	8	6	9	29	32	26	7	9	10	23
26. Granja de Moreruela – Tábara	39	11	8	6	9	29	32	26	7	9	10	23
27. Tábara – Santa Croya de Tera	39	11	8	6	9	29	32	26	7	9	10	23
28. Santa Croya de Tera – Rionegro del Puente	39	11	8	6	9	29	32	26	7	9	10	23
29. Rionegro del Puente – Puebla de Sanabria	39	11	8	6	9	29	32	26	7	9	10	23
30. Puebla de Sanabria – Lubián	58	24	21	11	10	31	32	26	10	16	20	39
31. Lubián – A Gudiña	46	23	21	10	10	19	9	12	12	18	17	25
32. A Gudiña – Laza	34	16	12	8	10	20	16	18	12	18	13	18
33. Laza – Xunqueira de Ambía	29	10	8	4	9	17	15	16	10	12	7	12
34. Xunqueira de Ambía – Ourense	29	11	9	5	11	20	25	28	14	13	8	12
35. Ourense – Cea	16	5	7	2	11	17	24	29	12	15	7	9
36. Cea – Castro Dozón	27	10	11	9	15	13	13	13	14	25	21	21
37. Castro Dozón – Silleda	21	10	11	9	15	10	5	5	11	25	21	21
38. Silleda – Ponte Ulla	22	13	12	11	15	12	8	7	14	26	22	24
39. Ponte Ulla – Santiago de Compostela	15	11	11	7	7	10	7	6	11	17	15	16

The Vía de la Plata section by section

Seville: Sevilla – El Real de la Jara

The first stages leave from the Seville countryside (Campiña sevillana), the zone on the route with the most heat warnings, even though a yellow heat warning there needs 38 °C. The Sierra norte de Sevilla gets far fewer. July and August are the busiest months; February and April the calmest.

Most common: heat, rain and storms. Most warnings in July and August; fewest in February and April.

Extremadura: El Real de la Jara – Fuenterroble de Salvatierra

The longest section, from Monesterio to Baños de Montemayor by way of Mérida and Cáceres. Heat is the top reason for a warning, above all in the Vegas del Guadiana, Villuercas y Montánchez, Tajo y Alagón and Norte de Cáceres zones; July and August are the busiest months, and February and May the calmest.

Most common: heat, rain and storms. Most warnings in July and August; fewest in February and May.

Salamanca: Fuenterroble de Salvatierra – El Cubo de Tierra del Vino

Crossing the Sistema Central, the heat threshold drops to 34 °C and snow appears: the Sistema Central de Salamanca zone is among those with the most snow warnings on the route. January and July are the busiest months; April and September the calmest.

Most common: heat, storms and rain. Most warnings in January and July; fewest in April and September.

Zamora: El Cubo de Tierra del Vino – Lubián

Almost the whole section runs through the Meseta de Zamora, a zone with more warnings than most of Spain: heat and storms in summer, wind and fog in winter. January and July are the busiest months.

Most common: heat, storms and wind. Most warnings in January and July; fewest in April and September.

Galicia: Lubián – Santiago de Compostela

The way in through Sanabria and the Montaña de Ourense, towards A Gudiña, is the part with the most snow warnings on the whole Vía de la Plata. From Ourense to Santiago rain and wind take over; January and October are the busiest months, and March and April the calmest.

Most common: rain, wind and storms. Most warnings in January and October; fewest in April and March.

The worst days on the Vía de la Plata

The days since 2018 with orange or red on the most stages at once.

red14 July 2022: red warning on 38 of 39 stages, for storms and heat · the episode
red13 July 2022: red warning on 37 of 39 stages, for heat · the episode
red3 August 2018: red warning on 36 of 39 stages, for heat · the episode
red12 July 2022: red warning on 36 of 39 stages, for heat · the episode
orange19 December 2019: orange warning on 36 of 39 stages, for rain and wind · the episode
red16 July 2022: red warning on 35 of 39 stages, for heat · the episode
orange17 July 2022: orange warning on 33 of 39 stages, for heat · the episode
red2 August 2018: red warning on 32 of 39 stages, for heat · the episode

When a warning is issued on the Vía de la Plata

Thresholds change from zone to zone. These are the yellow ones in the Vía de la Plata's zones:

Zone	Heat	Cold	Wind	Rain 1 h	Snow 24 h
Campiña sevillana	38 °C	−1 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Sierra norte de Sevilla	38 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Sur de Badajoz	38 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Barros y Serena	38 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Vegas del Guadiana	38 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Villuercas y Montánchez	36 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Meseta cacereña	38 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Tajo y Alagón	38 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Norte de Cáceres	36 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	5 cm
Sistema Central de Salamanca	34 °C	−6 °C	80 km/h	15 mm	5 cm
Meseta de Salamanca	36 °C	−6 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Meseta de Zamora	36 °C	−6 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Sanabria	34 °C	−6 °C	80 km/h	15 mm	5 cm
Montaña de Ourense	36 °C	−6 °C	80 km/h	15 mm	5 cm
Sur de Ourense	36 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Miño de Ourense	36 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Noroeste de Ourense	36 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Interior de Pontevedra	36 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Interior de A Coruña	34 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm

Yellow thresholds from AEMET's warning plan. Orange and red need more. Storms have no numeric threshold.

Tips for the Vía de la Plata

Check AEMET's forecast the evening before each stage, and the zone's warnings on the Climaviso map.
With a heat warning, set off very early and carry more water than you think you need: July and August are the months with the most warnings in Andalusia and Extremadura.
With a storm warning, avoid open, unsheltered stretches in the afternoon.
In winter, ask at the albergue about the Sanabria and A Gudiña crossing before you set off: it's the section with the most snow warnings on the route.
A warning covers the whole zone: it doesn't mean it will happen on your stage, but it does mean you should keep an eye out.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best month to walk the Vía de la Plata?

By warnings, April: on average, 3.0 warning days if you walk the 39 stages that month. Then May and February. The month with the most warnings is July, with 13 days.

Which section of the Vía de la Plata gets the most rain warnings?

Galicia: on average, a rain warning on 8% of days, mostly in June, October and November.

Does the Vía de la Plata get hot enough for warnings in summer?

In July and August, the section with the most heat warnings is Extremadura: a heat warning on 40% of days, on average.

Can it snow on the Vía de la Plata?

Yes, above all on the mountain sections: snow warnings bunch up in the Sanabria, Montaña de Ourense and Sistema Central de Salamanca zones, in January, March and December. There, yellow needs 5 cm in 24 hours.

What should I do if there's a warning on my stage?

A yellow warning calls for attention, not cancelling: check the forecast, set off early if it's for heat and have a plan B for storms or snow on a pass. With orange or red, follow Civil Protection's and the hostels' advice, and consider shortening or changing the stage.

This is not a forecast: it counts the warnings AEMET issued on those dates in past years. A warning is a forecast that a threshold will be crossed in the zone, not damage.