White Villages route weather: warnings stage by stage, month by month

White Villages route, Arcos de la Frontera to Ronda, in 7 stages. Warnings 2019–2025; updated 27 October 2026.

The White Villages route runs from Arcos de la Frontera to Ronda through the Sierra de Cádiz and the Serranía de Ronda, by way of Grazalema. By warnings it's one of the calmest routes: all three zones it crosses get fewer warning days than Spain's typical zone. This is what the official warnings say, stretch by stretch and month by month.

It's seven short stretches between villages, almost all inside the Grazalema zone: only the first touches the Campiña gaditana and the last enters the Ronda zone. For each stretch we count the warning days in the zones it crosses, and add them up month by month.

September and January are the calmest months. The busiest are March, with rain and wind, and August, with heat. In October and November warnings are mostly for rain and storms.

Summer belongs to heat: in all three zones the yellow warning starts at 38 °C, and the Campiña gaditana, as you leave Arcos, is the one with the most heat warnings. Snow barely counts. In the last eight years there have been red warnings on the route for heat, such as on 14 August 2021 or on 12 and 17 August 2025, and for rain and storms, such as on 21 October 2018 or 3 March 2025.

The White Villages route's warning zones

AEMET doesn't warn by village but by zone. The White Villages route crosses 3 warning zones, each with its own thresholds and warnings: on the same day one section can have a warning and the next none.

Driving the whole route, month by month

How many warning days you'd get, on average, driving one stretch a day from Arcos de la Frontera to Ronda in each month. Tap a month to see it stage by stage.

Stage-days with a warning, average 2019–2025, over 7 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 White Villages route section by section

Sierra de Cádiz: Arcos de la Frontera – Zahara de la Sierra

From Arcos to Zahara through El Bosque, Ubrique and Grazalema. Rain is the top reason for a warning, with heat and storms behind it. The first stretch touches the Campiña gaditana, the zone on the route with the most heat and wind warnings.

Most common: rain, heat and storms. Most warnings in March and August; fewest in September and January.

Zahara to Ronda: Zahara de la Sierra – Ronda

Through Olvera and Setenil de las Bodegas to Ronda, a slightly calmer section than the sierra one. Rain, storms and wind come ahead of heat; March and August are the busiest months.

Most common: rain, storms and wind. Most warnings in March and August; fewest in January and September.

The worst days on the White Villages route

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

• red21 October 2018: red warning on 7 of 7 stages, for rain and storms · the episode
• red14 August 2021: red warning on 7 of 7 stages, for heat · the episode
• red24 July 2022: red warning on 7 of 7 stages, for heat · the episode
• red12 August 2025: red warning on 7 of 7 stages, for heat · the episode
• red17 August 2025: red warning on 7 of 7 stages, for heat · the episode
• red4 February 2026: red warning on 7 of 7 stages, for rain and wind · the episode
• red5 February 2026: red warning on 7 of 7 stages, for rain and wind · the episode
• orange30 October 2018: orange warning on 7 of 7 stages, for rain

When a warning is issued on the White Villages route

Thresholds change from zone to zone. These are the yellow ones in the White Villages route's zones:

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

Tips for the White Villages route

• Check AEMET's forecast the evening before each stretch, and the zone's warnings on the Climaviso map.
• In summer, start early: from June to August heat is the top reason for a warning, and yellow starts at 38 °C.
• With a rain or storm warning, especially in autumn and in March, take the mountain roads slowly and check road conditions with the DGT.
• With a wind warning, take care on the passes and the most exposed viewpoints.
• A warning covers the whole zone: it doesn't mean it will happen on your stretch, but it does mean you should keep an eye out.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best month to drive the White Villages route?

By warnings, September: on average, 0.4 warning days if you drive the 7 stretches that month. Then January and April. The month with the most warnings is March, with 1.3 days.

Which section of the White Villages route gets the most rain warnings?

Sierra de Cádiz: on average, a rain warning on 5% of days, mostly in March, October and November.

Does the White Villages route get hot enough for warnings in summer?

In July and August, the section with the most heat warnings is Sierra de Cádiz: a heat warning on 15% of days, on average.

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

A yellow warning calls for attention, not cancelling: check the forecast and the DGT road status before setting off. With snow or strong wind, avoid mountain passes and mountain roads. With orange or red, follow Civil Protection's advice and put the stretch off if you can.

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 White Villages route, month by month

• The White Villages route in January
• The White Villages route in February
• The White Villages route in March
• The White Villages route in April
• The White Villages route in May
• The White Villages route in June
• The White Villages route in July
• The White Villages route in August
• The White Villages route in September
• The White Villages route in October
• The White Villages route in November
• The White Villages route in December