Barcelona weather by month

When to go to Barcelona

For beach weather, look at months where the daytime average clears 25°C and rainy days stay low: July, August. October is the wettest month (92 mm, about 10 rainy days) and July the driest (23 mm). The sea is warmest in August at 25.5°C and coolest in February at 12.9°C.

Getting there

A direct flight from London Gatwick to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN, 12 km from Barcelona) takes roughly 2 h 6 min - short-haul (up to 4.5 h) by UK standards. Time-zone: Europe/Madrid.

Records and extremes, 1991-2020

The hottest day recorded in Barcelona between 1991 and 2020 reached 35.6°C on 28 June 2019; the coldest fell to -2.3°C on 5 February 2012. In August one day in ten tops 30.2°C and about 12% of days pass 30°C; in January one night in ten drops to 2.2°C or below. The wettest single month of the period was October 2018 with 283 mm, against a October average of 92 mm.

Winter and spring: good for walking, less suited to swimming

December, January and February suit a city break if swimming is not the priority. Daytime averages of 12°C to 13°C make a coat useful, while nights of 5°C to 6°C mean you should dress warmly for evenings out. January is the coolest month, but February offers only a small improvement. March brings 16°C afternoons, though its 7°C nights still call for layers. April is a modest step warmer at 17°C, with 8 rainy days making a waterproof sensible. May is the stronger choice for comfortable outdoor time: days reach 21°C and evenings are milder. The catch is the sea, still just 17°C in May, so do not assume pleasant air temperatures will translate into comfortable swimming.

Summer: June for balance, July for sunshine, August for the sea

June offers a useful balance: 25°C days, 17°C nights and sea temperatures of 21°C suit a mix of walking and swimming. July is sunnier and has fewer rainy days, with 10 hours of sunshine and 5 rain days on average. Its 27°C daytime average makes shaded breaks sensible around midday. August stays similarly hot by day, but nights rise to 21°C, so light evening clothing is more useful than heavy layers. The sea reaches 26°C, making August the strongest choice if cold water puts you off swimming. The trade-off against July is less sunshine and more rainy days, rather than a meaningful gain in daytime warmth.

Autumn: warm water lingers, but rain becomes a bigger consideration

September still works well for warmth, with days and sea temperatures both averaging 24°C. It is not as reliable for dry outdoor plans as summer, though: 11 rainy days make flexibility useful. October stays mild at 20°C by day, and the sea holds at 21°C, but it is the wettest month overall. Pack a waterproof and keep some plans easy to rearrange rather than treating it as a straightforward extension of summer. By November, 16°C days and 9°C nights shift the balance towards walking in layers. The sea falls to 17°C, making swimming a less appealing reason to travel than it was earlier in autumn.