The rain in Spain falls mainly...where?

WHILST occasional visitors to Spain may associate the country with heat and sun, those who live here know that parts of it can get extremely cold in winter and, in others, temperatures at least drop below beach-and-pool level – and that, yes, we do get rain, sometimes quite a lot of it.

And that old adage about how the wet stuff 'falls mainly on the plain' was only invented to find a geographical noun that rhymes with rain – in reality, the central plains, covering the two regions of Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha, are among the driest parts of the country.

They're also among the coldest in the darker months and, sandwiched between them, the Greater Madrid region sees northern European temperatures in winter and searing, dry heat in summer – the former being because of its altitude; Madrid city, at 657 metres above sea-level, is the highest-up capital in the European Union and second-highest on the continent of Europe after Andorra La Vella, at 1,023 metres.

Very regional climates

Then there are the east and south-east coasts, a stone's throw from the start of the subtropics – weeks or even months with no rain are normal during any season, but when water does fall from the sky, it does it properly: A 'Mediterranean monsoon' can easily bring two to four inches of rain (about five to 10 centimetres) in the space of an hour or, at least, in one prolonged, overnight cloudburst, shutting schools, grounding public transport and being considered a very valid excuse for not going to work.

At times, it sets in for two or three days, but rarely much longer, and then you'll suddenly fling open your curtains to see bone-dry streets and blazing sunshine, and wonder if you'd dreamt it all.

These drenchings, known as a gota fría, tend to happen close to a solstice or equinox: Warm and cold air and water – one of each – collide, the Mediterranean basin traps it all in, the mountains along Spain's humid eastern seaboard block it off, and the coast gets a dramatic soaking.

A different story altogether is written along the northern strip. Bordered by the choppy Cantabrian Sea, which flows into the Atlantic, from west to east the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country, the latter being tucked into the oft-unsettled Bay of Biscay (the bit where you get turbulence on a flight from Spain to northern Europe) are the first to get hit by any weather fronts crossing from North America or down from the Arctic, meaning they are often bathed in Scotch mist in autumn and winter.

All these regions have mild and beautiful summers – plenty hot enough to get a tan and be able to rely on sunny days for weeks on end – and do not habitually suffer terrifying storms, but in the chillier months, persistent light rain gives them a damper, cooler climate.

After all, that bright emerald-green of their rolling hills and pastures isn't going to be achieved by constant drought.

Now you've had a potted geography lesson (you're welcome), can you take a guess at where the most rain in Spain does, actually, fall?

One particular town is in the Met office's radar as being the wettest municipality in the country.

It's set in a stunningly-beautiful location, remote in itself but a short drive to much more world-famous parts, making it the perfect base for a holiday (pack a good umbrella and mac between September and May).

And it's not at all where you might think it is.

The rain in Spain falls mainly in Grazalema

If you said it was in Galicia, Asturias, the Costa Blanca area, or Barcelona province, you're a good 700 kilometres out. 

Grazalema, in the sierra or mountain range of the same name, is in the north-east of the province of Cádiz – the opposite end of which is where you find the Costa de la Luz, or 'Coast of Light', with its near-tropical temperatures from about May onwards, sherry merchants and factory tours galore, and the ferry to Morocco where you can take a day trip (set off from the port of Algeciras before breakfast for a visit to Tangiers and you'll be home in plenty of time for dinner).

Although in Cádiz, Grazalema just nudges the northern border of the province of Málaga, being about 20 minutes from the epic, historical town of Ronda with its majestic Puente Nuevo rock-bridge, and the nearest beach to Grazalema is, in fact, in Estepona, on the Costa del Sol – around 35 kilometres as the crow flies.

Hard to believe the life and soul of sunshine coastal holidays is only about half an hour from this miniscule village nestled in the heart of a mountain nature reserve.

Also very close by is Setenil de las Bodegas (Cádiz province), a huge visitor magnet due to its unusual layout – it looks, for all the world, as though the mountains had 'melted' over the top of the houses, but in practice, they were built into the rocks. You can find out more and see some extremely quirky-looking photos (by Escapada Rural magazine) in our article that tells you which is the most popular town in each of Spain's provinces, and why.

Just north of Grazalema is the breathtaking Mediaeval town of Olvera, with its perfectly-preserved 12th-century boundary wall and Arab castle – along with Grazalema itself, it's on Spain's famous 'White Villages' network, which is just what it says on the tin and which encompasses some of the country's quaintest, brightest and most attractive little clusters.

And Grazalema is around 20 kilometres from one of Spain's 16 National Parks, the sublime, verdant Sierra de las Nieves.

Grazalema's soggy statistics

Home to just 2,030 inhabitants, Grazalema's 'rainy season' lasts eight-and-a-half months, and the very wettest period about 7.6 months.

So you'll need waterproofs if you visit between approximately September 26 and May 15, especially, and almost certainly between September 10 and May 28.

The month with the most days of rain is December, when it continuously falls for an average of 6.8 days on the trot, and other than from mid-May to mid-late September, the absolute minimum amount of rain per day averages one millimetre, or a litre per square metre.

And the wettest month of all is November, with an average of 7.3 centimetres, or just under three inches.

Typically, January will bring around six centimetres, or two-and-a-quarter inches, but up to 17 centimetres (seven inches) is not unusual; still by April, around four centimetres or nearly two inches is the average, but can often double that amount, and at the back end of the year, up to 20 centimetres, or eight inches can fall in the space of a month.

Putting all this in perspective, it often rains more in one day in Grazalema than it does in Madrid in a year, and in four days, a downpour bringing 11 centimetres a day (four-and-a-quarter inches) is not unheard of – being more than a year's worth in Alicante, Almería, Murcia, Castellón, Las Palmas or the island of Mallorca.

This is what happens over a typical Hallowe'en week – and at the same time of year, similarly remote parts of the province of Sevilla, bordering onto Cádiz, fewer than 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Grazalema, the amount of rain reported would, on average, be about a tenth of that of the latter.

Grazalema's average annual rainfall in a 'dry' year is around two metres (6'6”) a year – three times the national average figure for anywhere else, five times that of Madrid (40 centimetres, or 1'4”), nearly seven times that of Murcia (30 centimetres, or a foot), and 10 times that of Almería (20 centimetres, or eight inches).

And it is relatively common for the year's rain in Grazalema to reach three metres (9'9”) - on occasion, the total in 12 months has even broken the four-metre (13-foot) barrier.

In terms of cities, Vigo (Pontevedra province, Galicia) is the wettest in volume, but still falls far short of Grazalema with 'only' 1.8 metres (5'11”) of rainfall a year, and San Sebastián in the Basque Country for days of rain, at 187- only half the calendar minus a few days are dry up there – higher than Grazalema's typical 47 to 128 days of rain, but with much less of it gushing down from the sky at once.

But seeing Grazalema on a dry day is very possible – head there in summer, or particularly in July which is the least-rainy month of the year, with an average of under 0.2 days of rain out of 31.

On any given day, the probability of rain is between about 20% and 23% in Grazalema, dropping down to 11% at the start and finish of the 'wet season' and 0% in the trough in between.

And otherwise, the climate is fairly close to that of anywhere else in southern Spain – winters are much longer and very cold, but the short summers are hot and dry.

Temperatures year-round range from about 1ºC to 28ºC, and it's extremely rare to see the mercury plunge below -4ºC or above 32ºC.

The 'cold' season, lasting just under four months from mid-November to mid-March, brings average daily temperatures of under 14ºC; January is the coldest month, with average highs of 10ºC and average lows of 1ºC.

And the meteorological summer, from mid-June to mid-September, sees an average temperature of about 25ºC – August is the hottest month, with typical middle-of-the-day highs at around 28ºC to 30ºC and early-hours lows of 14ºC.

What a conversation about the weather with locals might sound like

You'd think the weather wouldn't even be a talking point in Grazalema, given that for seven to nine months it's only going to be doing one thing.

But if you ask them what they think about living in Spain's rainiest village, they merely shrug and say they are used to it.

It's always been this way – the humid Atlantic winds and the clouds become trapped within the 'ring' of mountains, rather than being blown across a much wider area of land, so the rain concentrates right above their heads.

As Grazalema is on the side of a hill, the rainwater simply runs off and lands in the river, meaning there are never floods – in fact, the only time a flash flood occurred there was between January and February 1963, when four times the national annual average amount of rain hit the village – about 2.25 metres (4'1”) in under a month.

“Grazalema's geographical location, and newer rain-based infrastructure since the floods, mean we practically never suffer any damage,” says mayor Carlos García.

Homes are, clearly, built to withstand the rain, so leaky walls or ceilings are far less likely than in drier climates where anti-deluge property protection is merely an afterthought or an optional extra.

Also, the chalky soil underfoot absorbs what doesn't roll off down the mountain – resulting in, surprisingly, Grazalema having to take steps against possible drought, even in winter, to avoid problems with on-tap supply.

This has not happened recently, though – up until about the early 1990s, huge lorries carrying tanks of water parking in the village to guarantee everyone had enough for drinking, washing and cooking were par for the course in summer; then, a small dam was built to shore up some of that abundant rainwater and keep it for the mains network, Carlos García explains.

Why on earth would anyone visit Grazalema during the rainy season?

Because it's fascinating, says the mayor – knowing you've been to the wettest town in a given country, especially a hot one, is always a talking point – and also because they get to see the mountain walls bursting from the pressure.

It's not a natural disaster – far from it. Known as El Reventar de los Caños ('The pipe-bursting'), it's more of a natural wonder.

“When there's been a lot of torrential rain in a short period of time, water builds up and the pressure can blow the cliffs out,” says García.

“But there are holes in it, which break open under this pressure, causing – not exactly a geyser, but certainly a gushing waterfall.

“People come from all over Spain to see it.”

The Caños, or 'pipes', in question, are channels inside the rocks, and there are so many of them that they each have names – the most-visited one being the Caño Grande ('big pipe') – and so much water pours from them that they've been known to turn the A-372 highway that borders them into a river.

Over a bank holiday weekend or in summer, hotels and holiday parks are typically full to the brim – and even though they can drop to 80% full at the last minute when those not familiar with the area check the weather forecast and find out it's going to be typically Grazalema-ish, the village has always had a thriving year-round tourism industry.

Holiday villages, motel complexes and static-caravan parks abound in and around Grazalema village and the Sierra de Grazalema, a Mecca for walking tours and splendid views in itself and also an attractive little base for all the other major visitor sites close by.

What else to see in Grazalema

As one of the 'White Villages' network, Grazalema is already an attraction in itself, without needing any other monuments or tourist magnets to advertise it – the municipalities along this famous route through southern Spain are a brilliant white, with narrow, winding lanes, balconies overflowing with colourful flowers, highly picturesque and flanked on all sides by dramatic rural scenery.

Right next to the Caño Grande, alongside the river Guadalete, entering the village itself and offering an express walking tour of part of the sierra, the Mediaeval road or Calzada Medieval is more than just a functional, albeit ancient, bit of town infrastructure. Cobbled with a crazy-paving of chalky rock, partly reclaimed by nature and with low, uneven steps, this half-kilometre walkway was originally an extension of the Roman road from Grazalema to Ubrique and is now a relatively untaxing hiking trail.

Countryside panoramas are not difficult to find in a mountainside cluster of 2,000 inhabitants, and three high-up lookout points come recommended by visitors. 

Los Peñascos, just up the road from the 17th-century San José church – formerly a convent - via the C/ Daniel and C/ Emigrantes Grazalameros, offers a 360º view across the Guadalete valley, the sugar-loaf-mountain-esque Peñón Grande, and the whole of the old town of Grazalema itself.

The Asomaderos viewpoint is just off the road leading into the town, where you can leave your car on the hard shoulder, or inside the town itself, a handy free car park in the Plaza Asomaderos looks out across the river valley and the Sierra de Grazalema – plus, it has a tourist information office where you can find out about other unmissable sights and experiences.

Strolling across in front of the 17th-century Renaissance-Baroque La Aurora church and hoofing up a steep, narrow lane, you reach the Tajo viewing point, where you can see the whole of the village in miniature against a backdrop of the sierra.

Streets drenched in history (not just rainwater), wide-open Plazas where villagers gather for festivals and chill out in pavement cafés (mainly during the dry months), and five churches built between the 15th and 17th centuries all make for photo opportunities and, on dry days, reflect the light of the brilliant sunshine off their dazzlingly-white walls.