I have come to the conclusion that this part of Spain does not really experience a winter.


On December 6th the small number of deciduous trees  started to lose their leaves rapidly. The Sun was low in the sky. Jumpers, jackets, scarves, long trousers  had to be worn , especially at night. It rained once a week.

But, the flowers remained flowering, temperatures never got to single figures centigrade, and washing dried after 2 days.  Christmas Day was a wash out, constant rain, but no snow or frost only on the high surrounding mountain tops.

Now its the end of January  and the sun is out, blue skies and it is warm enough for shorts middle part of the day, warm enough to sunbathe for 3 hours.

The prevailing winds from the Atlantic hit northern Spain and Portugal. Here is a rain shadow. Madrid is higher in the centre of the Iberian  Plateau  and consequently colder. The Mediterranean gives the Costa Blanca  sunnier , warmer weather. low 20s centigrade here mid day for last 3 days. In England you would call it summer.

So, up until November 6th it was hot, then suddenly , overnight, the temperatures plummeted, now  we have spring, away from the floods in England, where a fifth of the county of Somerset has been under water since Christmas.

The council even clean the streets with disinfectant water from a hose and road tanker.

Conclusion, long summer, early spring, short autumn, not really a winter.