ClimavisoDon Quixote route weather: warnings stage by stage, month by month
Don Quixote route, Toledo to Almagro, in 9 stages. Warnings 2019–2025; updated 26 October 2026.
The Don Quixote route crosses La Mancha from Toledo: Consuegra and its windmills, Campo de Criptana, El Toboso, the Lagunas de Ruidera and Almagro. Heat is the warning that rules here, and July and August are by far the busiest months. This is what the official warnings say, stretch by stretch and month by month.
February
the month with the fewest warnings
0.5 warning days driving the whole route
July
the month with the most warnings
4.4 warning days in 9 stages
5
warning zones
in 4 provinces
10
red days on some stage
2019 to 2025
It's nine stretches through the four provinces of La Mancha: Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Albacete. For each one we count the warning days in the zones it crosses, and add them up month by month.
February and November are the calmest months. From June to August heat is the top reason for a warning, with storms behind it; in winter cold and fog appear.
The yellow heat warning starts at 38 °C in Toledo and Ciudad Real, and at 36 °C in Cuenca and Albacete. La Mancha albaceteña, which the Lagunas de Ruidera stretches cross, is the zone with the most warnings on the route and also the one with the most heat warnings. In the last eight years there have been red warnings mostly for heat, such as on 14 and 15 August 2021 or 23 July 2026, but also for snow, on 8 and 9 January 2021, on every stretch at once.
The Don Quixote route's warning zones
AEMET doesn't warn by village but by zone. The Don Quixote route crosses 5 warning zones, each with its own thresholds and warnings: on the same day one section can have a warning and the next none.
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 Toledo to Almagro in each month. Tap a month to see it stage by stage.
Stage-days with a warning, average 2019–2025, over 9 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. Toledo – Consuegra | 30 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 50 | 48 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 11 |
| 2. Consuegra – Puerto Lápice | 31 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 42 | 36 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 9 |
| 3. Puerto Lápice – Campo de Criptana | 26 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 42 | 35 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| 4. Campo de Criptana – El Toboso | 31 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 42 | 36 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 9 |
| 5. El Toboso – Belmonte | 30 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 31 | 51 | 48 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 13 |
| 6. Belmonte – San Clemente | 17 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 31 | 51 | 47 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| 7. San Clemente – Lagunas de Ruidera | 36 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 33 | 62 | 60 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 15 |
| 8. Lagunas de Ruidera – Villanueva de los Infantes | 38 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 30 | 62 | 59 | 21 | 12 | 8 | 17 |
| 9. Villanueva de los Infantes – Almagro | 26 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 42 | 35 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
The Don Quixote route section by section
Toledo to El Toboso: Toledo – El Toboso
Through Consuegra, Puerto Lápice and Campo de Criptana. It's the calmest part of the route, though in July and August heat and storms rule here just as everywhere else. The Tajo valley, as you leave Toledo, is among the zones with the most heat warnings.
Most common: heat, storms and rain. Most warnings in July and August; fewest in February and November.
La Mancha of Cuenca: El Toboso – San Clemente
From El Toboso to San Clemente through Belmonte. Heat and storms in summer, and a little more wind than in the Toledo part; February and November are the calmest months.
Most common: heat, storms and rain. Most warnings in July and August; fewest in February and November.
San Clemente to Almagro: San Clemente – Almagro
Through the Lagunas de Ruidera and Villanueva de los Infantes to Almagro, the most-warned part of the route. It enters La Mancha albaceteña, the zone with the most heat, wind and snow warnings on the whole trip.
Most common: heat, storms and rain. Most warnings in July and August; fewest in February and November.
The worst days on the Don Quixote route
The days since 2018 with orange or red on the most stages at once.
- red8 January 2021: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for snow · the episode
- red9 January 2021: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for snow · the episode
- red14 August 2021: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for heat · the episode
- red15 August 2021: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for heat · the episode
- red14 July 2022: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for heat · the episode
- red11 July 2023: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for heat · the episode
- red18 July 2023: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for heat · the episode
- red9 August 2023: red warning on 9 of 9 stages, for storms and heat · the episode
When a warning is issued on the Don Quixote route
Thresholds change from zone to zone. These are the yellow ones in the Don Quixote route's zones:
| Zone | Heat | Cold | Wind | Rain 1 h | Snow 24 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valle del Tajo | 38 °C | −4 °C | 70 km/h | 15 mm | 2 cm |
| La Mancha toledana | 38 °C | −4 °C | 70 km/h | 15 mm | 2 cm |
| La Mancha de Ciudad Real | 38 °C | −4 °C | 70 km/h | 15 mm | 2 cm |
| La Mancha conquense | 36 °C | −6 °C | 70 km/h | 15 mm | 2 cm |
| La Mancha albaceteña | 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 Don Quixote route
- Check AEMET's forecast the evening before each stretch, and the zone's warnings on the Climaviso map.
- In summer, drive early and stop during the hottest hours: from June to August heat is the most common warning.
- In winter, watch for fog: with a warning, slow down and save the windmills and viewpoints for when it lifts.
- With a snow or storm warning, check road conditions with the DGT before setting off.
- 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 Don Quixote route?
By warnings, February: on average, 0.5 warning days if you drive the 9 stretches that month. Then November and April. The month with the most warnings is July, with 4.4 days.
Which section of the Don Quixote route gets the most rain warnings?
La Mancha of Cuenca: on average, a rain warning on 5% of days, mostly in June, August and September.
Does the Don Quixote route get hot enough for warnings in summer?
In July and August, the section with the most heat warnings is San Clemente to Almagro: a heat warning on 46% of days, on average.
Can it snow on the Don Quixote route?
Yes, above all on the mountain sections: snow warnings bunch up in the La Mancha albaceteña, La Mancha conquense and La Mancha de Ciudad Real zones, in January, March and April. There, yellow needs 2 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.
The Don Quixote route, month by month
- The Don Quixote route in January
- The Don Quixote route in February
- The Don Quixote route in March
- The Don Quixote route in April
- The Don Quixote route in May
- The Don Quixote route in June
- The Don Quixote route in July
- The Don Quixote route in August
- The Don Quixote route in September
- The Don Quixote route in October
- The Don Quixote route in November
- The Don Quixote route in December