Ribeira Sacra weather: warnings stage by stage, month by month

Ribeira Sacra, Ourense to Chantada, in 4 stages. Warnings 2019–2025; updated 27 October 2026.

The Ribeira Sacra follows the canyons of the Sil and the Miño between Ourense and Lugo, from Ourense to Chantada by way of Castro Caldelas and Monforte de Lemos. By warnings it's one of the calmest routes: all three of its zones get fewer warning days than Spain's typical zone. This is what the official warnings say, stretch by stretch and month by month.

April

the month with the fewest warnings

0.3 warning days driving the whole route

June

the month with the most warnings

0.7 warning days in 4 stages

warning zones

in 2 provinces

red days on some stage

2019 to 2025

It's four stretches through the provinces of Ourense and Lugo. For each one we count the warning days in the zones it crosses, and add them up month by month.

March and April are the calmest months. June is the busiest, with storms and rain, and July and August bring heat. In winter warnings are mostly for wind, with some cold and snow.

Heat shows most in the Miño de Ourense, as you leave the city; in the Montaña de Ourense, by contrast, there are hardly any heat warnings but there are snow and wind ones. The red warning days on the route in the last eight years have all been for heat: 3 August 2018, 12 to 15 July 2022 (the 14th also for storms) and 18 August 2026.

The Ribeira Sacra's warning zones

AEMET doesn't warn by village but by zone. The Ribeira Sacra 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.

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.

Driving the whole route, month by month

How many warning days you'd get, on average, driving one stretch a day from Ourense to Chantada in each month. Tap a month to see it stage by stage.

yelloworangered

0.7Jan 0.4Feb 0.3Mar 0.3Apr 0.4May 0.7Jun 0.6Jul 0.7Aug 0.5Sep 0.6Oct 0.4Nov 0.5Dec

Stage-days with a warning, average 2019–2025, over 4 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. Ourense – Parada de Sil	18	11	9	8	12	22	26	28	16	18	13	15
2. Parada de Sil – Castro Caldelas	16	11	9	7	9	16	7	7	11	16	12	14
3. Castro Caldelas – Monforte de Lemos	20	12	10	9	12	20	16	16	13	16	13	14
4. Monforte de Lemos – Chantada	12	5	5	4	11	17	14	16	10	10	5	7

The Ribeira Sacra section by section

Sil canyon: Ourense – Castro Caldelas

From Ourense to Castro Caldelas through Parada de Sil. Rain and wind are the most common reasons; June and August, the busiest months. The Montaña de Ourense is the zone on the route with the most snow and wind warnings.

Most common: rain, wind and storms. Most warnings in June and August; fewest in April and March.

Miño and Monforte: Castro Caldelas – Chantada

From Castro Caldelas to Chantada through Monforte de Lemos, the slightly calmer part. Rain and storms lead; June and January are the busiest months.

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

The worst days on the Ribeira Sacra

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

red3 August 2018: red warning on 4 of 4 stages, for heat · the episode
orange27 September 2018: orange warning on 4 of 4 stages, for storms
orange1 February 2019: orange warning on 4 of 4 stages, for wind and snow · the episode
orange13 July 2019: orange warning on 4 of 4 stages, for rain and storms · the episode
orange23 July 2019: orange warning on 4 of 4 stages, for rain and storms · the episode
orange21 December 2019: orange warning on 4 of 4 stages, for wind · the episode
orange1 March 2020: orange warning on 4 of 4 stages, for rain and wind · the episode
orange2 March 2020: orange warning on 4 of 4 stages, for rain, wind and snow · the episode

When a warning is issued on the Ribeira Sacra

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

Zone	Heat	Cold	Wind	Rain 1 h	Snow 24 h
Miño de Ourense	36 °C	−4 °C	70 km/h	15 mm	2 cm
Montaña de Ourense	36 °C	−6 °C	80 km/h	15 mm	5 cm
Sur de Lugo	36 °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 Ribeira Sacra

Check AEMET's forecast the evening before each stretch, and the zone's warnings on the Climaviso map.
In summer, start early: in July and August heat is the top reason for a warning, and yellow starts at 36 °C.
In June, watch for storms: it's the route's busiest month for warnings. With a rain warning, take the canyon roads slowly.
In winter, before climbing towards Castro Caldelas, check road conditions with the DGT: the Montaña de Ourense is where snow and wind warnings concentrate.
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 Ribeira Sacra?

By warnings, April: on average, 0.3 warning days if you drive the 4 stretches that month. Then March and February. The month with the most warnings is June, with 0.7 days.

Which section of the Ribeira Sacra gets the most rain warnings?

Sil canyon: on average, a rain warning on 6% of days, mostly in June, September and October.

Does the Ribeira Sacra get hot enough for warnings in summer?

In July and August, the section with the most heat warnings is Sil canyon: a heat warning on 14% of days, on average.

Can it snow on the Ribeira Sacra?

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

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.