Spain's climate refuges: where to escape the summer heat
Galicia, Asturias and the mountain ranges of Soria and Teruel are redrawing Spain's cool map. Oviedo sits at 16 degrees while Extremadura approaches 40.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Where does Spain escape the heat? The map of climate refuges
Where can you get away from summer in Spain? While half the peninsula bakes at 40 degrees, some spots stay at figures from another era: 16 degrees in Oviedo, nights below 20 in the highlands of Soria and Teruel, breezy beaches in Lugo. The cool map is changing, and not always in the expected direction.
The north is no longer a guarantee
Cantabria, the Basque Country and Navarre are succumbing to heat episodes, according to those who live through them. Humidity is the great betrayer: on the Cantabrian coast, mugginess turns a 30-degree thermometer into a 40-degree feel. The refuge has shifted westward: Galicia and Asturias, with their constant rain, remain the exception, but even there heat makes an appearance at specific moments.
The inland mountain ranges, the silent asylum
The coolest nights are recorded in the highlands of Cuenca, Guadalajara, Teruel and Soria. While in Biscay, Navarre, Ourense or Huesca highs easily exceed 36 degrees, in these mountain villages the thermometer never gets past that and nights stay below 20. The advice is simple: a cabin on the Moncayo and live there.
The south gets a break too
In Extremadura, traditionally an inferno, this summer has been fairly normal, apart from one week in July that never dropped below 40. Nights are slept with the windows open. The comparison with 2022, a far more hellish summer, makes it clear that not every year is the same: climate change does not erase natural variability.
So next time someone says Spain is an oven, remember that Oviedo is sitting at 16 degrees with light drizzle falling. That said: the price of paradise is rain, six months a year. Climate refuges exist, but they aren't free.
Where can you get away from summer in Spain? While half the peninsula bakes at 40 degrees, some spots stay at figures from another era: 16 degrees in Oviedo, nights below 20 in the highlands of Soria and Teruel, breezy beaches in Lugo. The cool map is changing, and not always in the expected direction.
The north is no longer a guarantee
Cantabria, the Basque Country and Navarre are succumbing to heat episodes, according to those who live through them. Humidity is the great betrayer: on the Cantabrian coast, mugginess turns a 30-degree thermometer into a 40-degree feel. The refuge has shifted westward: Galicia and Asturias, with their constant rain, remain the exception, but even there heat makes an appearance at specific moments.
The inland mountain ranges, the silent asylum
The coolest nights are recorded in the highlands of Cuenca, Guadalajara, Teruel and Soria. While in Biscay, Navarre, Ourense or Huesca highs easily exceed 36 degrees, in these mountain villages the thermometer never gets past that and nights stay below 20. The advice is simple: a cabin on the Moncayo and live there.
The south gets a break too
In Extremadura, traditionally an inferno, this summer has been fairly normal, apart from one week in July that never dropped below 40. Nights are slept with the windows open. The comparison with 2022, a far more hellish summer, makes it clear that not every year is the same: climate change does not erase natural variability.
So next time someone says Spain is an oven, remember that Oviedo is sitting at 16 degrees with light drizzle falling. That said: the price of paradise is rain, six months a year. Climate refuges exist, but they aren't free.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (11 replies).
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