Climate, seasons, and environment
Helps you prepare for climate, heat and natural hazards where you live.
Live with Spain's climates and natural hazards: regional climates, heat, alerts, floods, wildfire, drought, air quality and pests, checking a home's hazard exposure and claiming after a disaster.
- topics
- 9
- articles
- 61
- of reading
- 6.2 hours
Begin with
Heat and sun safety
You will know how heat works in Spain, how to spot heat illness and how to keep yourself, your family and your pets safe.
How bad Spanish heat waves (olas de calor) get · Heat exhaustion and heatstroke: signs and what to do · Tropical nights: sleeping when it never cools down
More in climate, seasons, and environment
8 more topics in this section, about 6.2 hours of reading in all.
Spain's climates and seasons
You will know what weather to expect where you live, month by month, instead of relying on the sunny-Spain stereotype.
Spain's climate zones: what to expect where · Spain's year month by month: which weather risks come when · The Mediterranean coast's climate: mild winters, humid summers, autumn storms
Weather alerts and emergency information
You will understand warning colours, ES-Alert, trusted sources and 112, even if your Spanish is limited.
AEMET weather warnings: what green, yellow, orange and red mean · Where to get reliable weather and hazard information in Spain · Calling 112 in a weather emergency, including in English
Floods and DANA
You will know where and why Spain floods, what to do during a DANA and what to do and claim afterwards.
DANA and gota fría: why September to November is flood season · What changed in Spain after the Valencia floods of 2024 · Which places flood: ramblas, barrancos and low-lying towns
Storms, snow and other natural hazards
You will know which of these hazards are real where you live and what to do about each.
Coastal storms, storm surge and erosion on Spain's coasts · Snow and cold waves: what to do when Spain freezes · Strong winds and named storms in Spain
Wildfire
You will know whether your area is at risk, what the law expects of you and how to act if a fire approaches.
Wildfire risk in Spain: where, when and how it looks nearby · Your legal duties next to forest land (interfaz urbano-forestal) · Making a home in a pine-forest urbanización safer from fire
Drought and water restrictions
You will know what drought rules can apply to you, where to find your local rule and how to avoid fines.
Spain's drought phases: reservoir levels, alerts and who decides · Why some parts of Spain run drier than others · What water restrictions ban: pools, gardens and car washing
Air quality, pollen and pests
You will know what is in the air and around the home and how to manage allergies, dust, mosquitoes, caterpillars and household pests.
Air quality in Spanish cities: pollution, ozone and how to check it · Calima: Saharan dust episodes and how to handle them · Pollen calendar: what blooms when in each part of Spain
Natural-hazard check for a home
You will know how to assess a home's hazard exposure using official maps, local knowledge and what you can see on the street.
How to check a home's natural-hazard exposure before renting or buying · Reading Spain's official flood maps (zonas inundables) for an address · Checking wildfire, coastal and landslide exposure for an address
Other sections in Daily life and culture
Food, schedules, and routines
Helps you adapt daily routines and food habits to Spain.
Social norms and neighbor life
Helps you fit in with everyday social norms and neighbours.
Shopping, consumer life, and digital services
Helps you shop and use everyday digital services in Spain.
Holidays, leisure, and public life
Helps you plan around holidays and build enjoyable leisure.
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.