2011 shows all the signs of closing as Spain’s hottest year since records first began in 1961, with the average temperature for the year until November 30 at 16.7 degrees Centigrade, 0.3 degrees above the previous hottest year of 2006.
Cooling off in a Cordoba Fountain in June
It’s 1.49 degrees above the normal average, which takes as a point of reference the period from 1971 to 2000. The AEMET meteorological agency described 2011 as ‘very hot to extremely hot’ for practically all of Spain.
The average temperature for the final quarter of 2011 has also been 1.8 higher than normal, at 17.3 degrees.
The hottest day this year was in Andalucía on August 19 when Morón de la Frontera, Sevilla, reached 42.5 degrees, although there were scorchers in the north at the end of June, when Bilbao and Orense both topped more than 40.
The year has also been drier than normal, with rainfall 7% below forecasts. Rainfall up until December 14 was 555 mm per square metre.
The coldest day in Spain this year was meanwhile on January 23 in Molina de Aragón, Guadalajara, when the thermometer dropped to -13.6 degrees Centigrade.
Average temperature - Motril (°C) on the Sunny Costa Tropical
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Spain | 7 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| Motril | 15 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 15 |
El Tiempo Motril
