Castalla, sitting back from the coast in the south of Spainâs Alicante region, enjoys a dry Mediterranean climate. Hot summers and mild winters characterise the region. The city is about 35km from the city of Alicante and the Mediterranean Sea.
Summertime in Castalla, from June till September, sees pleasant average high temperatures in the mid 20s. August is the hottest month with a daytime average of 26°C. Night times are quite hot, still lingering near 20°C, though low humidity makes this more bearable, as will air-conditioning. The sun is almost always out; the region sees around three-hundred days of sunshine a year, and there is very little rain. July is the driest month, on average seeing only three days on which rain falls. Castalla is a quiet town, away from the mega-resorts of Spainâs coast, and tourists usually come for walking or climbing holidays in the hills. Despite low rainfall, the hills are quite heavily wooded and natural springs provide green areas.
Autumn sees temperatures dropping from a pleasant 19°C in October to 16°C in November. Night times are even cooler and an extra layer or so is essential even in October. By the end of November night time temperatures can drop below 10°C. Sunshine is still reliable and the increased rainfall is hardly enough to worry about.
Winter days rarely fall below 10°C, averaging at 13°C in December and February. January, the coldest month is only one degree below that at 12°C. Night times can be cold but it never gets down to freezing, so much as one can say never about any aspect of the weather these days⦠snowfall was actually recorded this winter (2008). Rain levels increase but remain low, each month seeing about eight days with rain.
Spring, between March and May, is Castallaâs wettest time, with April and May seeing showers on a whopping nine days each. Not so wet. The average high temperature rises from 14°C in March to 18°C in May. Night times remain cool.
While Castalla and her surrounding regions do describe typical seasonal changes from hot to cool and back to hot again, the weather is often unpredictable; in August the lowest temperature ever recorded was 15°C, and in January, despite earlier claims, has seen a record low of -2°C. And on the more positive side of unpredictable, even winter months see days when temperatures rise above 21°C. On average, December sees an average of three days of such warmth, February sees four, and even chilliest January sees two.