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What's
the weather like in Arcos de la Frontera?
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Arcos de la Frontera enjoys 300 days of sunshine every year! |
Weather links
Latest satellite image | Extended weather forecast | Monthly averages | Q&A
Jim's Costa de la Luz forecast for the week ahead
Monthly averages for Arcos de la Frontera
|
Averages
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
|
Max
Temp °C
|
16
|
18
|
20
|
22
|
25
|
29
|
33
|
33
|
30
|
25
|
20
|
17
|
|
Min
Temp °C
|
5
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
12
|
15
|
18
|
18
|
17
|
13
|
9
|
7
|
|
Rain
Days
|
7
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
7
|
9
|
|
Sun
Hours
|
181
|
181
|
233
|
243
|
297
|
310
|
353
|
337
|
258
|
228
|
187
|
162
|
Questions and answers about the climate
What's the weather like in general?
As you would expect from its location in the south of Spain, Arcos de la Frontera enjoys a largely warm and sunny climate. But there are variations all year round, and even on the frequent sunny days (3000 sunshine hours per year!) there's always something different happening.
When is the weather at its best for visiting Arcos de la Frontera?
Perhaps the best times of the year to visit Arcos de la Frontera are Spring and Autumn, when the temperatures are just right.
Spring comes early, towards the end of February, and when the Holy Week celebrations arrive in March you can expect to be in shirtsleeves. Summer is hot and you know its end is approaching when the nights begin to freshen in early September. The onset of Winter comes in late November but average winter temperatures are pleasant enough. It seldom gets very cold in Arcos de la Frontera and it has only snowed once here in living memory, in February 1954.
How hot does it get in Summer?
Summer temperatures in Arcos de la Frontera can exceed 40 degrees celsius.
The wind direction and speed play a large part in determining how much Summer can be enjoyed, or suffered! At the time of writing, a westerly wind is blowing - it's called the Poniente - which means the temperature is affected by the Atlantic Ocean. Though the wind warms as it crosses the land, because Arcos de la Frontera isn't far from the Atlantic coast the wind is still relatively cool. In general the Poniente, one of two prevailing winds blowing through Arcos de la Frontera, is a pleasant breeze which takes the edge off the temperatures. Even in high Summer temperatures are unlikely to go much above 30 degrees celsius if the Poniente is blowing. There is little humidity, the air is clear and the sky a brilliant blue - as it will be on the appropriately named Costa de la Luz, the Coast of Light. An oft-heard word in Arcos de la Frontera is 'fresco', or fresh, meaning it's a little less hot than normal!
Contrast the Poniente with the more common Levante wind, which can blow with surprising ferocity in the Straits of Gibraltar. By the time it arrives in Arcos de la Frontera it has lost some intensity but even here the Levante, which can whip up in a matter of minutes at any time of the day or night, has been known to blow down trees by the Guadalete river (which snakes its way around Arcos de la Frontera). It's a warm wind from the east and it hails from the desertified land behind Almería.
Being on a cliff and surrounded by predominantly flat land, Arcos de la Frontera gets little shelter from the winds but they serve as some relief - if hot sun plus no wind equals stifling, then at least if we add wind to the equation it becomes less stifling!
The nights are cooler than the days of course, so it's no surprise that the townspeople leave it late before taking their evening 'paseo', or stroll. Where in other parts of Spain this custom is observed at around 7pm, in Arcos de la Frontera it's more likely to be between 8-8.30pm - especially in Summer.
When does it rain?
It rarely rains in Summer. It rains occasionally in Spring, Autumn and Winter.
The most likely set up for prolonged rain is when an occasional depression (weather system bringing unsettled weather) approaches and then sits in the Bay of Cádiz just west of here. This can lead to several days of continuous rain in late Autumn, Winter or even Spring. On the other hand, typical Atlantic weather fronts have usually lost their potency by the time they reach as far south as Arcos de la Frontera and more often than not their clouds carry little rain. Storms are not a common sight in Arcos de la Frontera but it's the strength of these storms that have helped make Grazalema, just 20 minutes from Arcos de la Frontera by car in the hill country, the wettest place in Spain. Though it may be hard to believe ('Green Spain' being an area on the north coast of the country) Grazalema is the place where it rains most - less often, but harder!
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