Barcelona enjoys a typical Mediterranean coastal climate..
Its annual rainfall is around 600 mm, slightly higher around the Collserola range than along the coast. The rainiest season in the year by far is autumn (above all, the months of September and October) followed by spring and winter, whereas the driest is summer, with rainfall at its lowest during the months of June and July.
The temperature range is moderate. On the one hand, the winters are mild, with temperatures averaging between 9º and 12 ºC. It should be noted that night-time temperatures are especially high in the city centre, where it almost never freezes. On the other hand, the summers are hot, averaging between 23º and 26 ºC over the months of July and August. Being close to the sea makes Barcelona characteristically muggy over the summer, when maximum temperatures only ever rise above 30 ºC during serious heat waves.
Can Bruixa (Les Corts) has one of the most distinctive climatic features of the city centre, namely the high night-time temperatures caused by its proximity to the sea and the urban heat island effect.
As a result of this combination, the centre of Barcelona is one of the warmest places in the country, with monthly averages above 10 ºC during the winter and above 25 ºC in July and August.
Can Bruixa only recorded one day of freezing weather between 1987 and 2010: -1ºC on 27 January 2005).
The Fabra Observatory is located on the eastern side of the Collserola range, 410 metres above sea level. Its temperatures are usually lower than the city centre's, though much higher extreme temperatures have occasionally been recorded during heat waves. One of the main differences lies in the frequency of freezing weather, which occurred on average 5 days a year during the period 1981-2010, whereas it almost never freezes in the city centre.
As regards rain, the seasonal pattern for Collserola is much the same as in Barcelona city centre, though it has a slightly higher annual average rainfall.
Extended table for Barcelona's climate 1987-2010