Spain Shivers as Record Low of -17.3°C Hits Sierra Nevada on Epiphany
On January 6, 2026, Spain recorded its coldest temperature at -17.3°C in Sierra Nevada amid a widespread cold wave and snow alerts issued across multiple regions due to Storm Francis.
- • Sierra Nevada in Granada set a Spanish cold record at -17.3°C on January 6.
- • Multiple regions, including Guadalajara, Aragón, and Catalonia, faced severe cold alerts from Aemet.
- • Snowfall and frost affected large parts of Spain, including Madrid and Mallorca.
- • Aemet warned of ongoing intense frost and snow at low elevations in northern and eastern Spain.
Key details
Spain experienced an unprecedented cold wave on January 6, 2026, with the Sierra Nevada National Park in Granada registering the country’s lowest temperature of the day at -17.3°C. This was part of widespread severe cold and snowfall brought by Storm Francis, impacting multiple regions across the country. The record low was noted at 9:40 AM in Pedrollano, Sierra Nevada, marking the coldest temperature in Spain on the Epiphany day.
The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) issued numerous alerts in response to this extreme weather. The province of Guadalajara faced a red alert with temperatures plummeting to -15°C in areas such as the Parameras de Molina, where Molina de Aragón recorded -14°C early in the morning. Other regions, including Aragón and parts of Catalonia, were under orange alerts anticipating lows near -10°C, while provinces like Almería, Córdoba, and Granada carried yellow alerts with temperatures between -1 and -4 degrees Celsius.
Besides Sierra Nevada’s extreme cold, other sites in Granada also ranked among Spain’s coldest locations, with temperatures such as -13.9°C at the Radiotelescopio de Sierra Nevada and -13.4°C at Laguna Seca. Cap de Vaquèira in Lleida came close with -14°C recorded by 9:30 AM.
Across Andalucía, daytime temperatures varied from 8°C in Almería to a chilling -2°C in Granada, indicative of the harsh winter conditions prevailing in southern Spain. Madrid and much of the peninsula also saw heavy snowfall and temperatures that rarely climbed above 10°C, complicating daily life.
Aemet spokesperson Rubén del Campo warned residents to brace for intense frost, particularly in northern and eastern Spain, with snow expected at lower elevations in Galicia and the Cantabrian coast and possibly Mallorca at 500 meters.
This severe cold wave continues to affect at least eight autonomous communities, emphasizing the extensive reach and intensity of the storm's impact across Spain.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
