Santander climate
Santander (Cantabria, Spain) has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb). The average temperature over the year is 16 °C60 °F, and about 993 mm39 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Santander climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1355 | 948 | 1151 | 1254.9 |
| Feb | 1355 | 847 | 1051 | 1003.9 |
| Mar | 1458 | 1049 | 1254 | 953.8 |
| Apr | 1661 | 1152 | 1356 | 783.1 |
| May | 1865 | 1356 | 1660 | 622.4 |
| Jun | 2271 | 1662 | 1966 | 542.1 |
| Jul | 2474 | 1865 | 2170 | 341.3 |
| Aug | 2476 | 1967 | 2271 | 341.4 |
| Sep | 2373 | 1864 | 2069 | 512.0 |
| Oct | 2069 | 1560 | 1864 | 993.9 |
| Nov | 1660 | 1253 | 1457 | 1415.6 |
| Dec | 1356 | 1049 | 1253 | 1214.8 |
| Year | 2476 | 847 | 1660 | 99339 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80% | 82% | 1.4 | 9:17 |
| Feb | 78% | 78% | 2.2 | 10:26 |
| Mar | 78% | 75% | 3.4 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 79% | 73% | 4.6 | 13:22 |
| May | 79% | 73% | 5.4 | 14:41 |
| Jun | 78% | 70% | 5.7 | 15:24 |
| Jul | 76% | 65% | 5.7 | 15:06 |
| Aug | 72% | 66% | 5.1 | 13:57 |
| Sep | 72% | 65% | 4.2 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 73% | 73% | 2.7 | 10:56 |
| Nov | 78% | 79% | 1.6 | 9:37 |
| Dec | 79% | 80% | 1.3 | 8:58 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Santander is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 24 °C76 °F and a low of 19 °C67 °F. The coldest is February, when highs average 13 °C55 °F and lows 8 °C47 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 11.4 °C20.5 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 993 mm39 in. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 39% of the annual total. The wettest month is November (141 mm5.6 in), the driest is July (34 mm1.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 72% in September to 80% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 65%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (7 mph) in June to 17 km/h (11 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June.
Best time to visit Santander
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 18 °C65 °F to 24 °C76 °F with 34 mm1.3 in to 62 mm2.4 in of precipitation per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Santander
- Winter (December–February) — highs around 13 °C55 °F, lows 847 to 10 °C49 °F, about 115 mm4.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1458 to 18 °C65 °F, lows 1049 to 13 °C56 °F, about 78 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2271 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 1662 to 19 °C67 °F, about 41 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1660 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 1253 to 18 °C64 °F, about 97 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
How Santander compares
Compared with Bilbao, about 75 km to the east, Santander has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 46 places in Spain covered by World Climates, Santander is the 29th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Spain climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Porto (Portugal, Csb), Auckland (New Zealand, Cfb) and Hamilton (New Zealand, Cfb).
Nearby places
- Bilbao 75 km · 16 °C60 °F · 1,003 mm39 in
- Gasteiz / Vitoria 115 km · 12 °C53 °F · 931 mm37 in
- Burgos 125 km · 11 °C51 °F · 632 mm25 in
- Donostia / San Sebastián 149 km · 15 °C59 °F · 1,069 mm42 in
- Gijón 150 km · 15 °C59 °F · 904 mm36 in
- Logroño 156 km · 14 °C57 °F · 641 mm25 in
- León 173 km · 11 °C52 °F · 547 mm22 in
- Pamplona 190 km · 12 °C54 °F · 968 mm38 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Santander?
August is the warmest month in Santander, with an average high of 24 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 19 °C (67 °F).
What is the coldest month in Santander?
February is the coldest month, with an average high of 13 °C (55 °F) and an average low of 8 °C (47 °F).
When does it rain the most in Santander?
November is the wettest month with about 141 mm (5.6 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 34 mm (1.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Santander?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 172 m, while Santander lies at about 1 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.1 °C2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.