El time at christmas It is one of the most common concerns these days. These are days in which many they return to the family home to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones and it is not the same to do it with cold and snow on the road as with dry roads and pleasant temperatures.
Due to the season we are in, it is normal for it to be cold, but this is not always the case. In fact, we are having a pretty warm autumn. In other words, climate change is making itself felt and means that we don't know very well what the weather will be like at Christmas. For all this, below, we are going to explain it to you taking as reference the weeks that make up these dates.
Christmas week
Christmas week will be dry and cold
We will begin, therefore, with the Christmas Eve and Christmas week, that is, the one that runs from December 18 to 25. The first thing that draws attention is the probable absence of precipitation. Even the western part of the Iberian Peninsula, which is usually the rainiest, will have dry weather compared to other years.
The eastern part of Spain will also have little rainfall. And this has an unpleasant consequence for skiers. If you like to practice this sport and want to take advantage of some of these days to do it, it will be difficult for you. ski resorts there is no snowfall and therefore many will remain closed. To learn more about the weather at this time, you can read about the difference between weather and climate.
Regarding temperatures, they will be cold, with night frosts. This will be more appreciated in the north and center of the country, where it will be even lower than usual for these dates. It will be strange because, as we told you, we are having a warm autumn. It will be a little warmer in the south and east, as well as in the Balearic Islands, but they will not rise many degrees either. For its part, the Canary Islands deserve separate attention. The archipelago is already hotter than the rest of Spain, but, in addition, during Christmas week the temperatures will be above normal.
Therefore, from December 18 to 25 we will have an anticyclone throughout the Iberian Peninsula and, as usual, it will bring dry and cold weather, although sunny. Likewise, the stability that this entails will mean that low clouds may appear and morning mists, especially in the northern plateau, inland Galicia and the Ebro basin.
The week of New Year's Eve and New Year
New Year's Eve at Puerta del Sol in Madrid
More difficult is the weather prediction in the week from December 25 to January XNUMX due to the days that separate us from it. However, everything indicates that the situation that we have just explained to you will remain until the beginning of the new year.
However, the anticyclone will begin to weaken over the North Atlantic and will move towards the Azores. In turn, this will cause the temperatures of the interior of the peninsula they soften and even that those of the rest of Spain are above the average.
The rains would follow a similar path. It is possible that fronts begin to enter the country. But, curiously, rainfall will be above normal in the southern half and the Canary Islands, while in the north there will be less than is usual in this area and on these dates. However, we regret to tell you that, it seems, the snows will continue without making an appearance out of the high mountains.
Everything we have explained to you so far about the weather at Christmas agrees with the general meteorological predictions that, with all reservations, are being made for next winter. Apparently, the months of December, January and February will be somewhat warmer than is usual. As for the rains, they will be more abundant than normal on these dates, especially in the Balearic and Canary Islands archipelagos.
The week of kings
The three wise men
If it is difficult to predict the weather for New Year's Eve and New Year's Eve, it is even more difficult to do so for the week of January XNUMX to XNUMX, that is, the week of Wise Men. In this case, if you have small children, you will want it to be sunny and dry for the ride because, otherwise, you could get very wet.
In fact, no concrete predictions can be made about the weather at Christmas in such a long term. However, we can go deeper into what we have told you about What winter 2024 will be like in general terms, which encompasses the end of the Christmas holidays. We have already told you that, as has been happening for a few years, it will be warmer than normal, especially in the northwest, the southern third and the Balearic and Canary Islands archipelagos.
Of course, this does not mean that we are going to have spring-like temperatures. It will be cold, but not as cold as one might expect from the winter season. Likewise, the greater abundance of rainfall It is good news because Spain has a endemic crisis of water reserves. In any case, this does not mean that it will rain in the first days of January.
A cold front approaching the coast
The increase in rainfall is related to the El Niño phenomenon. It is a cyclical climatic event, as it occurs every several years. Likewise, it causes the warming of the Pacific Ocean and, with this, causes more precipitation throughout the planet, especially in the equatorial and intertropical regions, where devastating effects occur in the form of floods or losses in agriculture.
According to the expert Adam Scaife, from the UK Met Office, El Niño also would lead to an increase in rainfall in southern EuropeAnother expectation for winter 2024, although not so much related to the Christmas weather, has to do with snow. Apparently, it will end up being more abundant than last year and, furthermore, it will take longer to leave the high mountains.
In conclusion, the time at christmas It will be, broadly speaking, cold, especially in the center and north of the Iberian Peninsula. And this despite the fact that we are having a rather warm autumn. Furthermore, it will be a period with low rainfall. But this anticyclonic situation It will change progressively during the week of New Year's Eve, when some rain may begin to occur. Therefore, it will be a fairly benign time so you can travel and enjoy the holidays with your family. Go ahead and do it.
