The idea that it rains in Madrid in winter does not survive the data. On the climate normals AEMET publishes for the Madrid-Retiro observatory, the wettest month is October at 60 mm, followed by November at 58. January manages 33 mm and March, at 25, is among the driest. July and August barely reach 12 and 10 mm, but their average highs climb to 32.1 and 31.3 degrees.
When is the best time to visit Madrid? September offers the most balanced combination, at 26.4 degrees average high, 22 mm of rain and 3.3 rain days. The wettest month is October at 60 mm. July reaches 32.1 degrees average high, and January drops to 2.7 average minimum with 6.2 frost days.
Madrid’s climate is dry and sharply contrasted, with average annual rainfall of 421 mm across just 59.4 rain days and 100.4 clear days a year. Choosing a month is not choosing between rain and sun, because it rains little almost always: it is choosing between heat and cold, and deciding whether an autumn soaking is worth risking.
Why September wins
This is not a preference but what falls out of reading the three columns together.
September brings 26.4 degrees of average high, warm enough to stay outdoors without July’s severity, on just 22 mm of rain across 3.3 days. May, the spring alternative, has a gentler 22.2 degree high but more than double the rain, 50 mm over 7.3 days. What separates them is not temperature but the chance of getting wet.
The whole year, in figures
The table that settles the question without resorting to impressions.
| Month | Average high | Rainfall | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|
| December | 10.0 degrees | 51 mm | 6.8 |
| November | 13.5 degrees | 58 mm | 6.5 |
| October | 19.4 degrees | 60 mm | 6.9 |
| September | 26.4 degrees | 22 mm | 3.3 |
| August | 31.3 degrees | 10 mm | 1.7 |
| July | 32.1 degrees | 12 mm | 1.7 |
| June | 28.2 degrees | 21 mm | 3.4 |
| May | 22.2 degrees | 50 mm | 7.3 |
| April | 18.2 degrees | 45 mm | 6.7 |
| March | 16.3 degrees | 25 mm | 4.1 |
| February | 12.0 degrees | 34 mm | 5.2 |
| January | 9.8 degrees | 33 mm | 5.7 |
March is the driest month of the cold half at 25 mm, below April and May. And June, on 21 mm and 3.4 rain days, already behaves like a summer month without reaching thirty degrees of average high.
What each extreme means for a trip
The peak months shape the plan more than the packing, and it helps to know how.
In July and August the heat pushes plans indoors, where each museum’s closing time matters and they range from 3pm to 8.30pm on one tariff, in Madrid on a rainy day and Madrid state museums at 3 €. In January there are 6.2 frost days on average and in December 4.5, on average minimums of 2.7 and 3.6 degrees.
The calendar that ignores the weather
Two dates move the city more than the temperature does, and they are worth checking before booking.
San Isidro, on 15 May, is a local public holiday and closes several museums, among them the Cerralbo, the Museum of Romanticism and the Lope de Vega house. The full calendar is in what closes on Madrid’s public holidays, and who sets which timetable in Madrid opening hours, who sets each one.
Frequently asked questions about when to visit Madrid
Which is Madrid’s wettest month?
October, with 60 mm of average rainfall, ahead of November at 58 and December at 51. The assumption that winter is the wet season does not hold, January manages 33 mm and March, at 25, is among the driest months of the year.
How hot does Madrid get in July and August?
Average highs of 32.1 degrees in July and 31.3 in August, on means of 25.6 and 25.1. In return they are the driest months, with 12 and 10 mm of rainfall and barely 1.7 rain days each.
Which is the best month to visit Madrid?
September has the most balanced combination, at 26.4 degrees average high, 22 mm of rainfall and 3.3 rain days. May is the spring alternative, with a milder 22.2 degree high but 50 mm of rain across 7.3 days.
Does it rain much in Madrid?
Little, and in concentrated spells. Average annual rainfall is 421 mm spread over 59.4 rain days, against 100.4 clear days a year. It is a dry climate where the rain clusters in autumn and in the transition months.
Does it freeze in Madrid in winter?
Yes, though not often. January averages 6.2 frost days and December 4.5, on average minimums of 2.7 and 3.6 degrees. These are figures from the Madrid-Retiro observatory in the city centre, where the city softens the values slightly.
It rains six times more in October than in August, and almost nobody weighs that when picking a month.