Climate en Espagne - Navarre/Pays Basque/Rioja
Between oceanic and Mediterranean influences, the climate of northern Spain ensures pleasant temperatures in the off-season and long rainy periods in winter. In the summer, on the other hand, the sun is scorching, and some areas resemble small deserts. In the Basque Country, one oscillates between the coolness of the Pyrenees and the warmth of the Atlantic beaches; in Navarre, one feels a heavy, almost desert heat, especially in the famous Bardenas Reales; in Rioja, it is a dry heat that one also encounters, favourable to the cultivation of vines. The north of Spain, nicknamed "Green Spain", has a very different climate from the rest of the country, which is now threatened by desertification as the heat is increasingly intense. From the Basque Country to La Rioja, you can enjoy a certain climatic comfort, favourable to tourism and discovery.
One Basque Country, several climates
In the Basque Country, although the climate is mainly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the inland has continental characteristics, with cold winters, hot summers and less rainfall. As a preamble, it should be noted that the Basque climate is particularly changeable and unpredictable due to its double influence, Atlantic and Pyrenean. Indeed, the mountain range blocks rainfall on one side or the other, triggering long rainy episodes.
On the coast, there is an oceanic zone, marked by the influence of the Gulf Stream (ocean current). Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, Labourd, Basse-Navarre and Soule du Nord enjoy a temperate climate and fairly mild temperatures. On average, it rains much more in autumn and winter than in summer and temperatures vary between 5 and 20-25 °C, up to almost 40 °C in the middle of summer. Ocean storms are not uncommon and can last several days, triggering interminable showers - the region's rainy reputation is well established.
Inland in the Basque Country, the climate is continental, with cold winters, hot summers and less rainfall. The mountainous area around the Iraty Massif enjoys a subalpine climate with winter snow - and the possibility of practising certain winter sports. The province of Álava, located in the Ebro depression, enjoys a microclimate with low rainfall. It even has a temperate Mediterranean climate, as oceanic influences can still be felt here. Thus, in summer temperatures easily exceed 35 °C and in winter temperatures can drop as low as -15 °C.Navarre, between mountains and deserts
Navarra is divided into three main climatic zones: the mountainous area (north), the central area and the Ribera (south). In the Pyrenean valleys, temperatures are cold and the peaks are covered with snow until the arrival of spring. The central zone is a transition zone, oceanic in the north and Mediterranean in the south. In the Ribera area, whose relief heralds the dry plateaus of Castile, the climate is of the Mediterranean continental or sub-desert type (especially in the Bardenas Reales). It is the driest area in the region and evokes the threat of desertification that hangs over the whole of Spain. A CNRS study published in 2018 analyses that if the Spanish do not react, by 2090, a vast steppe will link Alicante to Lisbon.
Rioja, between Atlantic and continental influences
Finally, La Rioja has a temperate Mediterranean-type climate, with Atlantic influences in the west and continental influences in the Sierras region, like the province of Alava. Temperatures therefore have a great amplitude and the seasons are strongly marked.
