The Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat) has officially confirmed this season as the rainiest winter in Catalonia in three decades. According to the agency’s latest climate balance, the region has not seen such sustained precipitation since the winter of 1995-1996.
While winter is far from over, the combined rainfall for December 2025 and January 2026 has already shattered records. In some locations, the volume of water accumulated is the highest recorded since at least 1950, marking a 76-year high.
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Historic rainfall across Girona and Barcelona
The relentless rain has been particularly intense in the north-east. Meteocat reports that towns such as Palafrugell and Granollers have experienced their wettest December and January period in 76 years. Similarly, Cabanes and the city of Girona have recorded their second-highest rainfall figures for this period in the same timeframe.
The total accumulation has been substantial. Girona recorded 442 millimetres of rain, while Sant Pere Pescador saw local records of 185 millimetres. Experts note that finding similar pluviometric figures requires looking back to Storm Gloria in 2020. However, unlike Gloria, which delivered torrential rain in a single destructive episode, the current precipitation has been spread across multiple weather systems over several weeks.
Exceptional snow depths in the Pyrenees
The precipitation has not just fallen as rain. The Pyrenees have seen what meteorologists are calling “exceptional” snow accumulation, particularly at medium and high altitudes. In some areas above 2,000 metres, snow depths have reached 1.5 metres.
The automatic weather station at Núria (1,971 metres) measured 144 centimetres of accumulated snow on Monday, 26 January. This figure represents a new record for the station’s 26-year data series, narrowly beating the previous high of 142 centimetres set on 30 January 2006.
An unusual climatological pattern
This abundance of water is statistically rare for the region. Winter is typically the second driest season in Catalonia, surpassed only by summer. However, January 2026 bucked this trend completely, registering as a “very rainy” month across most of the territory, while maintaining normal temperatures for the time of year.
Marc Prohom, head of the Climatology area at Meteocat, highlighted the anomaly. “Unusual precipitation records are being recorded, both in January and December, which have caused notable accumulations of rain and very significant snow depths,” he stated.
The only exceptions to this wet trend were specific points along the central coast, the extreme south of Catalonia, and parts of the Pyrenees, where the month was classified merely as “rainy” rather than “very rainy”. As a result, Catalan water reserves have surged to over 92% capacity.
For further context, you can review the Meteocat Monthly Climate Bulletins and the Historical Monthly Precipitation Data for Barcelona from the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
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