GR 221 weather: warnings stage by stage, month by month

GR 221, Port d'Andratx to Pollença, in 8 stages. Warnings 2019–2025; updated 27 October 2026.

The GR 221, the Dry Stone Route, crosses Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana from south-west to north-east, from Port d'Andratx to Pollença, by way of Valldemossa, Deià, Sóller and Lluc. By warnings it's busier than the Camino Francés, especially at the end of summer. This is what the official warnings say, stage by stage and month by month.

It's only a few stages, but they cross four AEMET zones: southern Mallorca, the Serra de Tramuntana, the interior and the north and north-east. All four are above the median Spanish zone for warning days. For each stage we count the warning days in the zones it crosses, and add them up month by month.

May and April are the calmest months. The busiest are August and September: in high summer heat leads, and in September and October, rain and storms. In winter the top reason for a warning is wind. In these zones the yellow threshold is 70 km/h for gusts and 36 °C for heat.

The red days of the last eight years were 9 and 10 October 2018 and 15 August 2024, for rain and storms; 10, 11 and 13 September 2019, for rain, storms and wind; 27 and 28 February 2023, for rain, wind and snow; and 18 July 2023, for heat.

The GR 221's warning zones

AEMET doesn't warn by village but by zone. The GR 221 crosses 4 warning zones, each with its own thresholds and warnings: on the same day one section can have a warning and the next none.

Walking the whole route, month by month

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

Stage-days with a warning, average 2019–2025, over 8 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.

The GR 221 section by section

West: Port d'Andratx – Deià

From Port d'Andratx to Deià, by way of Estellencs, Esporles and Valldemossa, almost all in the Serra de Tramuntana zone, the one with the most wind warnings on the route. Rain and wind are the most common warnings; November and September, the busiest months.

Most common: rain, wind and storms. Most warnings in November and September; fewest in May and April.

Northern Tramuntana: Deià – Pollença

From Deià to Pollença, by way of Sóller, Tossals Verds and Lluc, this is the section with the most warnings. The Tossals Verds stages enter the Mallorca interior zone, the one with the most heat warnings on the route; August and July are the busiest months.

Most common: rain, wind and storms. Most warnings in August and July; fewest in May and April.

The worst days on the GR 221

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

• red10 October 2018: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for rain and storms · the episode
• red10 September 2019: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for rain, storms and wind · the episode
• red11 September 2019: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for rain, storms and wind · the episode
• red13 September 2019: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for rain, storms and wind · the episode
• red27 February 2023: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for rain, wind, cold and snow · the episode
• red28 February 2023: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for rain, wind and snow · the episode
• red18 July 2023: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for heat · the episode
• red15 August 2024: red warning on 8 of 8 stages, for rain and storms · the episode

When a warning is issued on the GR 221

Thresholds change from zone to zone. These are the yellow ones in the GR 221's zones:

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

Tips for the GR 221

• Check AEMET's forecast the evening before each stage, and the zone's warnings on the Climaviso map.
• In summer, set off early and finish before the hottest hours: in July and August heat is the top reason for a warning.
• With a wind warning, keep off the ridges and exposed stretches of the range, and consider staying put at the refuge.
• In late summer and autumn, watch for rain and storms: rain is behind almost all of the route's red days.
• 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 GR 221?

By warnings, May: on average, 0.8 warning days if you walk the 8 stages that month. Then April and February. The month with the most warnings is August, with 2.7 days.

Which section of the GR 221 gets the most rain warnings?

Northern Tramuntana: on average, a rain warning on 10% of days, mostly in September, October and November.

Does the GR 221 get hot enough for warnings in summer?

In July and August, the section with the most heat warnings is Northern Tramuntana: a heat warning on 30% of days, on average.

Can it snow on the GR 221?

Yes, above all on the mountain sections: snow warnings bunch up in the Sierra Tramontana zones, in January, February and March. There, yellow needs 2 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 and, if it's for storms, finish the stage before the afternoon. With snow or strong wind on a col, wait or take the low variant. With orange or red, follow Civil Protection's and the mountain huts' advice, and don't go up.

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.

The GR 221, month by month

• The GR 221 in January
• The GR 221 in February
• The GR 221 in March
• The GR 221 in April
• The GR 221 in May
• The GR 221 in June
• The GR 221 in July
• The GR 221 in August
• The GR 221 in September
• The GR 221 in October
• The GR 221 in November
• The GR 221 in December