ClimavisoStorm Fien: snow and wind across much of Spain, 16–19 January 2023
16 January 2023 to 19 January 2023. Updated 26 October 2026.
AEMET named this storm Fien on 14 January 2023. It coincides with storm Gérard, named by Météo-France on 15 January 2023. It coincides with storm Hannelore, named by Météo-France on 19 January 2023.
Over 4 days, 62 of Spain's 182 warning zones had an orange or red warning for snow and wind: 102 zone-days at orange or red, 2 of them red. The day with the most zones at orange or red was 17 January, with 41 zones.
17 January was the day with the most people in zones under an orange or red warning: 7.7 million people live there (INE municipal register, 2025).
How it compares
- It is number 34 of 119 episodes since June 2018 by zone-days at orange or red.
- It is the largest of the 7 snow episodes since June 2018.
Day by day
| Day | Red | Orange | Yellow | Orange or red warnings for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 16 January | 1 | 9 | 88 | wind, snow, rain |
| Tue 17 January | 1 | 40 | 99 | wind, snow |
| Wed 18 January | — | 35 | 63 | snow, wind |
| Thu 19 January | — | 16 | 70 | snow, wind |
Zones with a warning each day, at their highest level that day.
The zones
And 90 more zones with yellow warnings only.
What AEMET's stations measured
The most measured in the zones with an orange or red warning, on their warning days: a 176 km/h gust at Matxitxako (Bizkaia litoral) on 17 January; a low of -13.3 °C at Cerler, Cogulla (Pirineo oscense) on 18 January.
| Zone | Strongest gust | Lowest temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Bizkaia litoral | 176 km/h Matxitxako · 17 January | 1.5 °C Bilbao Aeropuerto · 18 January |
| Ibérica riojana | 154 km/h Valdezcaray · 17 January | -6.5 °C Valdezcaray · 18 January |
| Noroeste de A Coruña | 150 km/h Estaca de Bares · 17 January | 4.2 °C Carballo, Depuradora · 17 January |
| Sierra Tramontana | 129 km/h Sierra de Alfabia, Bunyola · 17 January | 0.1 °C Sierra de Alfabia, Bunyola · 19 January |
| Sistema Central de Segovia | 123 km/h La Pinilla, Estación de Esquí · 17 January | -7.5 °C Puerto de Navacerrada · 18 January |
| Centro y valle de Villaverde | 120 km/h San Roque de Riomiera · 19 January | -6.4 °C Alto Campoo · 18 January |
| Litoral cántabro | 119 km/h Santander · 17 January | 1.3 °C Santillana del Mar, Altamira · 18 January |
| Poniente y Almería Capital | 116 km/h Láujar de Andarax · 17 January | 5.4 °C Roquetas de Mar · 16 January |
| Valle del Almanzora y Los Vélez | 115 km/h Albox · 17 January | -3.4 °C Vélez Blanco - Topares · 19 January |
| Interior norte de Castellón | 114 km/h Morella · 17 January | -3.0 °C La Pobla de Benifassà-Fredes · 19 January |
| Cordillera y Picos de Europa | 108 km/h Cabrales · 17 January | -5.4 °C Pajares-Valgrande · 18 January |
| Interior sur de Valencia | 108 km/h Xàtiva · 17 January | -0.7 °C Zarra · 19 January |
| Meseta de Segovia | 106 km/h Aldeanueva de Serrezuela · 16 January | -3.5 °C Cuéllar · 18 January |
| Sistema Central de Ávila | 104 km/h Muñotello · 16 January | -2.9 °C Puerto del Pico · 18 January |
| Prelitoral de Barcelona | 102 km/h Pontons · 17 January | -1.7 °C Fogars de Montclús · 19 January |
| Suroccidental asturiana | 102 km/h Ibias, San Antolin · 16 January | -4.0 °C Degaña · 18 January |
| La Mancha albaceteña | 98 km/h Albacete · 17 January | -1.5 °C Chinchilla · 18 January |
| Interior sur de Castellón | 96 km/h Atzeneta del Maestrat · 18 January | 0.4 °C Atzeneta del Maestrat · 16 January |
| Meseta de Burgos | 95 km/h Villadiego · 17 January | -3.4 °C Villadiego · 18 January |
| Prelitoral sur de Tarragona | 94 km/h Estación de Tortosa (roquetes) · 18 January | 1.1 °C Rasquera · 16 January |
And 42 more zones with an orange or red warning.
For each zone, the highest value its AEMET stations measured on the episode's warning days (the lowest, for the low temperature), with the station and the day. Rain from 07:00 to 07:00 UTC; gust: the day's strongest. It is what the zone's stations measured, not every town, and a measurement, like a warning, is not damage.
How AEMET's warnings unfolded
The red warning reached 2 zone-days, and AEMET always issued it ahead of time (median: 116 min). The first warning of any level for those same days had come a median 2 days earlier.
| Zone | Day | First warning | Red issued | For · notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirineo oscense | Mon 16 | Fri 13 Jan, 23:50 orange | 21:04 | 22:00 · 56 min before |
| Pirineo oscense | Tue 17 | Sat 14 Jan, 23:50 yellow | Mon 16 Jan, 21:04 | 00:00 · 3 h before |
The full timeline: 152 changes at orange or red
Only the changes involving red are listed: there were 152 in all.
Mon 16 January
- Pirineo oscense: Raises the snow warning to red: Monday 16, 22:00–24:00. 40 cm of snow in 24 h.
- Pirineo oscense: Raises the snow warning to red: Tuesday 17, 00:00–12:00. 40 cm of snow in 24 h.
AEMET's issue times, in mainland Spain time (Canary Islands in island time). Notice is the time from issue to the first hour the warning covered; a warning issued “for the current hour” runs from the hour it is published.
What this says and what it doesn't
A warning is an AEMET forecast, not a measurement or a damage report: it says a threshold is expected to be exceeded in a zone. A warning is not damage; a zone is not a building.
A zone-day is one warning zone with a warning on one day. Ten zones at orange on the same day make ten zone-days. A day with several warnings in one zone counts once, at its highest level.
Each zone has its own thresholds, so an orange heat warning in Asturias doesn't mean the same temperature as in Córdoba. More in how warnings work.
To cite: “Climaviso, from AEMET warnings”.
Source: official AEMET warnings, collected by Climaviso since June 2018.
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