Weather in Madrid in July

A hard month. July is a hard month in Madrid, and worth planning around. Daytime highs average 34.2 °C and the afternoon is not negotiable — outdoor plans move to early morning or evening.

July ranks 12 of 12 — near the bottom of Madrid's year. September is the month that works, and the swing between the two is 39 points, which is a different holiday rather than a slightly better one.

Rain falls on only 2 days, so an itinerary with no wet-weather fallback is a reasonable risk. Pack for heat management rather than style: shade, water, and a schedule that gives up on the middle of the day.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 14 days clear 35 °C, so a serious heatwave is normal rather than notable; the day swings 16.9 °C from low to high, which means one bag has to cover both. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest July day reached 40.7 °C and the coldest night fell to 9.9 °C.

This is the volatile part. July rainfall has ranged from 0 mm to 43 mm across the twenty years measured — a 43 mm spread around an average of 9 mm. The average is real but almost no individual July looks like it, so treat the figure as the middle of a wide range rather than a forecast.

Wind is light at 8.5 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and the air is dry at 35% humidity, which makes the heat far more bearable than the same figure somewhere humid — and dehydrates you faster than you expect.

How July sits in the year

Temperatures hold steady either side: 30.1 °C in June, 34.2 here, 33.7 in August. Nothing about the timing within the month matters much.

Daylight in July

July is at or near the longest days of Madrid's year: 14.8 hours of daylight, losing 0.6 hours across the month. Evenings are the real gain — dinner outdoors still happens in full light.

An inland climate

With no coast nearby, the year swings a fair way — 33.5 °C between the warmest afternoons and the coldest nights, wider than any coastal city at this latitude would manage. Within July itself the daily swing is 16.9 °C, so mornings and afternoons need different clothes.

How busy it gets

Off season. The genuine off season: cheapest by a distance, with the caveat that some tours and restaurants close entirely.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

July in Madrid versus nearby

If Madrid is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Valladolid is a better bet in July — 3.2 °C cooler, 1 day more rain. Zaragoza is close enough to be a coin toss — within a degree on temperature, 2 days more rain.

So: July is a compromise. September is 39 points better and is what Madrid is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Madrid

See all twelve months in Madrid, or where else to go in July.