Hot but not sticky: where in Spain summers are dry
If you know dry heat, the coast of Spain can surprise you. Where are summers hot but not humid?
Hot and dry is easier to live with than hot and humid: sweat evaporates, the shade is cool and the evenings cool down. Climate scientists call the climate of the Mediterranean, and of inland California, Csa: hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. In Spain 99 of the 333 places are Csa. But “dry” summers are not all alike. On the coast the sea adds moisture to the air; inland it does not.
Measuring mugginess: the dew point
The dew point tells you how much moisture is in the air. Below about 13 °C (55 °F) summer air feels dry; from 16 °C (61 °F) it feels muggy; above 18 °C (64 °F) it is oppressive. In August the median dew point of Csa places within 10 km of the sea is 19.0°C; for Csa places more than 100 km inland it is 11.2°C.
The 20 places with hot, dry summers
These Csa places have an average August dew point of 14°C or lower. Every one of them is inland, the nearest 33 km from the sea. By region: Andalusia (6), Madrid (4), Extremadura (4), Castilla-La Mancha (3), Castilla y León (2), Galicia (1).
August dew point in the hot, dry places (°C)
| Place | Region | Aug dew point | Aug high today | Aug high ~2055 | Jan low | Rainy days | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guadalajara | Castilla-La Mancha | 9.8°C | 32.6°C | 34.0°C | -1.5°C | 60 | 1,990 €/m² |
| Valladolid | Castilla y León | 9.9°C | 30.6°C | 32.0°C | 0.9°C | 67 | 1,831 €/m² |
| Collado Villalba | Madrid | 10.2°C | 30.3°C | 31.7°C | 2.5°C | 66 | 2,832 €/m² |
| Colmenar Viejo | Madrid | 10.2°C | 30.5°C | 32.4°C | 2.7°C | 66 | 3,012 €/m² |
| Galapagar | Madrid | 10.2°C | 30.5°C | 31.7°C | 2.7°C | 66 | 2,715 €/m² |
| Torrelodones | Madrid | 10.2°C | 30.7°C | 32.0°C | 2.9°C | 66 | – |
| Cuenca | Castilla-La Mancha | 10.3°C | 31.5°C | 32.9°C | -0.0°C | 70 | 1,522 €/m² |
| Cáceres | Extremadura | 11.0°C | 33.3°C | 34.7°C | 3.4°C | 63 | 1,482 €/m² |
| Plasencia | Extremadura | 11.0°C | 34.9°C | 35.9°C | 4.4°C | 65 | 1,105 €/m² |
| Talavera de la Reina | Castilla-La Mancha | 11.2°C | 34.4°C | 35.8°C | 1.0°C | 54 | 1,183 €/m² |
| Lucena | Andalusia | 11.4°C | 33.7°C | 36.0°C | 3.1°C | 56 | 1,066 €/m² |
| Don Benito | Extremadura | 11.8°C | 34.2°C | 35.5°C | 3.0°C | 56 | 1,008 €/m² |
| Villanueva de la Serena | Extremadura | 11.8°C | 34.2°C | 35.5°C | 3.0°C | 56 | 819 €/m² |
| Ponferrada | Castilla y León | 12.4°C | 29.6°C | 30.9°C | 1.4°C | 90 | 890 €/m² |
| Ronda | Andalusia | 12.5°C | 30.7°C | 32.0°C | 4.2°C | 71 | 1,593 €/m² |
| Córdoba | Andalusia | 13.1°C | 36.8°C | 38.0°C | 3.5°C | 55 | 1,717 €/m² |
| Écija | Andalusia | 13.1°C | 36.4°C | 37.6°C | 3.7°C | – | 1,130 €/m² |
| Puente Genil | Andalusia | 13.1°C | 35.1°C | 36.4°C | 6.2°C | – | 973 €/m² |
| Úbeda | Andalusia | 13.2°C | 32.2°C | 33.8°C | 4.0°C | 56 | 924 €/m² |
| Ourense | Galicia | 14.0°C | 31.1°C | 32.4°C | 3.5°C | 97 | 1,503 €/m² |
The catch
Dry inland summers are also the hottest, and they are warming fastest. 8 of these 20 places are projected to reach an average August high of 35°C or more around 2055. The coolest options on the list around 2055 are Ponferrada (30.9°C), Collado Villalba (31.7°C), Galapagar (31.7°C), Valladolid (32.0°C), Torrelodones (32.0°C). See Spain around 2055 for the projections.
Find your own: on the compare page, tick climate type Csa and set “Summer mugginess” under More weather.
How we did this
Climate class: Köppen-Geiger from AEMET 1991-2020 station averages. Dew point from the station's vapour pressure or humidity; where the station does not measure humidity, from the nearest station that does (within 70 km, same coastal or inland setting). The 19 places whose humidity is only a satellite estimate are left out. Built 2026-10-18.