Storm Filomena: Spain sees 'exceptional' snowfall

Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.

Pelegrin

Veteran Member
Oct 28, 2013
2,025
3,692
Madrid
Time of past OR future Camino
2019
The problem now will be the ice because temperatures will be very low next week.
I am more than sixty and never lived a snowfalll and temperatures.like those in Madrid.
I have boots, guetres and even crampons but most people don't have right shoes for this.
 

malingerer

samarkand
Jan 28, 2014
1,431
5,341
Time of past OR future Camino
cf (2), de la plata, cp. (2003 -2018)
The problem now will be the ice because temperatures will be very low next week.
I am more than sixty and never lived a snowfalll and temperatures.like those in Madrid.
I have boots, guetres and even crampons but most people don't have right shoes for this.
are guetres the same as gaiters? I cant even get "grippers" for my boots and being doddery I get anxious when there is even a hint of ice! :) I keep telling myself "walk soft and stay safe" :)

samarkand.
 
F

Former member 49149

Guest
are guetres the same as gaiters? I cant even get "grippers" for my boots and being doddery I get anxious when there is even a hint of ice! :) I keep telling myself "walk soft and stay safe" :)

samarkand.
No idea, Samarkand/malingerer. However, just watch from the window, do not tempt fate. We need you here!
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-

Pelegrin

Veteran Member
Oct 28, 2013
2,025
3,692
Madrid
Time of past OR future Camino
2019
are guetres the same as gaiters? I cant even get "grippers" for my boots and being doddery I get anxious when there is even a hint of ice! :) I keep telling myself "walk soft and stay safe" :)

samarkand.
Yes guetres are gaiters. Guetres is the French word. In Spain we also call them polainas. I have all this stuff because i am mountanier and I need it when I walk
Sierra de Madrid in winter.
 
Mar 18, 2012
8,537
27,615
European Union
Time of past OR future Camino
To Santiago + back
2400 km + 950 nmi
160 days
cannot believe that is more than we have in Canada
No but that's not the point. 20 cm or 40 cm of snow are exceptional for Madrid and not exceptional for Canada. If something like this happens every 50 years, as it is the case for Madrid, and not in every winter month every year, as it is the case for Canada, then there is not sufficient know-how and experience and equipment to deal with it. You don't buy winter tyres and snow chains for your car when you know that it is unlikely that you use them in your lifetime and, likewise, you don't invest in an army of snowploughs for your city for example with an army of drivers who will start moving snow off the streets as soon as the first snowflakes appear.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Bala and Pelegrin
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Mar 18, 2012
8,537
27,615
European Union
Time of past OR future Camino
To Santiago + back
2400 km + 950 nmi
160 days
What king of snowfall was thei4 8n Leon and Burgos and CF?
We can look for ourselves :). Webcams (from an earlier thread):

La Rioja: https://actualidad.larioja.org/webcams. Includes Logroño, Navarrete, Najera and Santo Domingo de la Calzada with great landscape views.​
O Cebreiro: http://www.crtvg.es/crtvg/camaras-web/o-cebreiro. The CRTVG website has a number of other webcams, including Portomarin and Santiago de Compostela.​
 
Last edited:
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

Marbe2

Active member
Dec 5, 2015
2,885
6,751
Time of past OR future Camino
2015-2023 walked all or part of CF 11 times
Reports say there was more snow in the north. However, temperatutes in the north, in Leon, On Thursday recorded the lowest temperature in its history at -35.8 degrees Celsius (-32.44 degrees Fahrenheit) according to regional meteorological institute Noromet. Usually such cold limits snow fall?

@Kathar1na but I still haven’t found snowfalls accumulation yet.
 
Mar 18, 2012
8,537
27,615
European Union
Time of past OR future Camino
To Santiago + back
2400 km + 950 nmi
160 days
but I still haven’t found snowfalls accumulation yet.
I'll leave it to @Pelegrin who has probably watched more weather news than all of us together recently ;) . From what I can tell, based on the news, is that it was unusually cold in some parts of Spain and it snowed an unusually amount of snow in other parts of Spain and none of this was on the Camino Frances.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Marbe2
A selection of Camino Jewellery

Pelegrin

Veteran Member
Oct 28, 2013
2,025
3,692
Madrid
Time of past OR future Camino
2019
I'll leave it to @Pelegrin who has probably watched more weather news than all of us together recently ;) . From what I can tell, based on the news, is that it was unusually cold in some parts of Spain and it snowed an unusually amount of snow in other parts of Spain and none of this was on the Camino Frances.
Yesterday they said 50 l/m2. This is 50 cm of snow. Today we have a sunny day 4°C.
Wet snow, so, ice for next days
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kathar1na
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Mar 18, 2012
8,537
27,615
European Union
Time of past OR future Camino
To Santiago + back
2400 km + 950 nmi
160 days
I can see a ver unusual and long row of parked cars in O Cebreiro. And some children playing with sledges.
You are right! I occasionally look at the O Cebreiro webcam. I've never seen so many walkers and parked cars as right now on this apparently splendidly sunny winter day. And the road is clear of snow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Felipe

BROWNCOUNTYBOB

Active Member
Sep 5, 2019
433
1,334
Indianapolis, IN
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino Frances: 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021
In the mid-90s, we lived in Geneva for three years. Each yearend we celebrated Christmas in Geneva, then headed to Spain for a winter vacation. One year we were driving from Valencia to Madrid and encountered some fairly light snow. Cars were pulling off the highway, to allow the kids to get out and play in the snow in the nearby fields, since they never experienced snow before. Bob
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

Marbe2

Active member
Dec 5, 2015
2,885
6,751
Time of past OR future Camino
2015-2023 walked all or part of CF 11 times
You are right! I occasionally look at the O Cebreiro webcam. I've never seen so many walkers and parked cars as right now on this apparently splendidly sunny winter day. And the road is clear of snow.
I came though O Cebreiro a couple of years ago In early March on a Sunday... much the same winter look as in the cam. . Lots of snow piled up, children playing and cars were parked everywhere. We did not stay there however...we went to Pedrafita. That day, the snow accumulation between La Faba and Albergue la Escuela had to be 2’-3’ deep! Took us quite a while to struggle through it. We were assured the path was open, by hotel and local bar. I suppose folks over 6 feet tall had an easier time of it!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: grayland
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

jpflavin1

Veteran Member
Dec 26, 2009
2,524
3,359
Chicago, Illinois
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino 2024 unknown starting 4/1 from somewhere.
It is Winter. My concern would be on the impact it is having on distribution of vaccine or first responders.

If snow is rare in some areas most people just stay home and it will be gone shortly. Those accustomed to snow, higher elevations, are surely going about their business.

I encountered challenging snow on two Camino's. San Salvador where I had to deal with 3-4meter drifts in the mountains (April). Madrid between Cercedilla and Segovia where I had a foot (30cm) of snow on the mountain for 7km's (April). Just makes for a more challenging day and more caution.

Ultreya,
Joe
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pelegrin and Marbe2
Jan 19, 2016
8,479
26,793
Suburb of Boston, Mass., USA
Time of past OR future Camino
Us:Camino Frances, 2015 Me:Catalan/Aragonese, 2019
Peg has been expressing sympathy for Spain. She understands what is going on. She claims at one time she was in eight of the ten worse blizzards in the US. I'll add that one winter it snowed at least a bit every day in her town from Christmas to the first day of Spring. Upstate New York and lake effect snow.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.

Most read last week in this forum

I did not use Bookings.com during my Camino, but most pilgrims I met did. And from this site it is evident that most people use Bookings at least some of the time. This article is for those of...
Hi all, I have access to data on arrivals of pilgrims to Santiago by day, country, age, gender, departure point, route, reason and means used. Based on this data, I am analysing it to develop a...
Currently I am in Burgos resting up from a knee injury. I am not giving up the possibility of continuing on foot, but in the meantime I would like ideas of options in the event that I can not...
Im planning a November Frances Camino. I have an Altus rain coat that covers me and pack nicely but I’m wondering do I get a backpack cover and wear a hooded shell light jacket over heavier...
....asked me to remind you that May 12 is the Feast of Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
Hi everyone! I'm planning to start on the Camino de Francés, then from Léon I will walk the Camino San Salvador, then the Camino Primitivo and maybe if I have time the Camino de Fisterra. My...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Similar threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides