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Terrible Weather in Galicia

ELHS220

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Last: FRANCÉS-2023
There has been rain on each of the last 25 consecutive days in Santiago. November is on its way to becoming the wettest in years. YUCK!!

 
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I'm hoping by the time I start on the 15th December it's a bit better.
In 2000 the Western Morning news had a running total on its front page of the days it had rained consecutively in Devon since early September, they started at around 80 and it got up to 103 days before we had a clear day.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
There has been rain on each of the last 25 consecutive days in Santiago. November is on its way to becoming the wettest in years. YUCK!!

Yup! It has been a bit nuts around here! At least it's not always windy, but it has been basically raining since September 18 or so. I keep telling myself it has to end sometime... but then they announce a new storm brewing off the coast. 🤪
 
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It's a camino. There is always something to complain about... It's too wet, it's too cold, it's too hot, my feet are sore, too many pilgrims, not enough pilgrims. It's a camino and each day is a new day. It'll be my turn soon... two weeks Porto to Santiago and I'm not put off at all. Bonne camino
 
It is the cold and shorter days of the season that make it worse than it is. After all, rain is an integral part of the Camino, except perhaps during July and August.

When I walk my spring Caminos in April and May, I typically have rain on 8 of every 10 days. If there is only one cloud in the sky, it can usually be found over me. I usually joke that this is my astrological / horoscope sign...cloud...

There is a seasonality to the rainfall. It depends on cyclical wind patterns and circulation flows coming off the Atlantic Ocean. It pays to notice and pay attention to these flows if you have access to a TV weather forecast program, like in a bar the night before.

The arrows on the screen map will give you the general wind direction coming off the ocean. Arrows coming off the ocean and directed at you usually indicate that precipitation is on the way. In general, clouds pick up moisture over the ocean, then drop it as rain or snow when either a tall mountain, a sharp temperature gradient (hot to cold), or a perpendicular, shearing wind front is encountered.

In northern Spain, at elevations over 700 meters ASL, snow can be expected from November through mid-May. You can avoid snow by walking at lower elevations, most of the time. So, if it is cold and damp, and you are presented with two route alternatives, take the one with a lower altitude. Even 50 meters can make the difference between rain and wet snow.

Personally, I always relied on my weather forecast app, Eltiempo.es+ to advise me. If it indicates less than a 40 percent chance of precipitation, I have learned that it usually will not rain enough to need my poncho. More than this, and yes, I will need my poncho at some point. This app also gives hourly forecasts for most every named place in Spain.

Hope this helps.
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
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Here comes another one....

View attachment 66919

YUP! THAT is what I meant by checking the weather maps BEHIND the usually attractive young lady, who is typically dressed in a distracting manner... I truly AM looking at the weather map... Really, I do...

This circulation indicates that the clouds will be super saturated coming in off the warmer Atlantic off Portugal (yellow and magenta colored areas) and will drop their moisture as rain or snow as the clouds move to the north (green and blue areas)...

In fact, here is an article from today's La Voz de Galicia that underscores this situation...


It's in Spanish, but you can use an online translator if you cannot read it...I do...

Hope this helps.
 
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I was under the impression that the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. LOL 😂🤣😂

No, no, no! Every pilgrim worth his or her salt KNOWS that...

"The rain in Spain falls mainly...on Galicia..."

Credit for this truth goes to the late Rev. Philip J. Wren, one of our most veteran members, before his untimely passing while on Camino in May 2013. I had the honor of knowing him, walking with him, and hearing him repeat it often in the week leading up to his passing.

But the rain and the Camino, especially in Galicia, just happen to go together like blisters on a foot, sunburn on pale skin, or chinches in August...

The rule in my experience, is more cloudy, misty or rainy days than not. The exception is fewer rainy days than clear... Then again, I am the fellow with the cloud following him...

Hope this helps.
 
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Here comes another one....

View attachment 66919

☔
Here comes the rain, here comes the rain
And I say it's all right 🌈

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
🌈 🇪🇸
Rain, rain, rain, here it comes
Rain, rain, rain, here it comes
Rain, rain, rain, here it comes
Rain, rain, rain, here it comes
Rain, rain, rain, here it comes
 
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I'm not an expert but we wondered recently whether that's what Atlantic weather is like? Rain and sunshine swiftly following each other? ☺

Absolutely! Santiago is pretty close to the coast, 'as the crow flies', so weather can change here in a few heart beats. But rain is still the predominant feature, especially in winter ;-)
BC SY
 
But rain is still the predominant feature, especially in winter ;-)
We were in the area recently during the cold snap. My Spanish is limited so my opening gambit for any conversation is often the weather, in this case: hay lluvia or hay mucha lluvia. And the answer was nearly always: it's autumn, or it's winter, and in one case this is much more like I remember it. Last year it was too dry, the rain started only in January. FWIW.
 
No, no, no! Every pilgrim worth his or her salt KNOWS that...

"The rain in Spain falls mainly...on Galicia..."

Credit for this truth goes to the late Rev. Philip J. Wren, one of our most veteran members, before his untimely passing while on Camino in May 2013. I had the honor of knowing him, walking with him, and hearing him repeat it often in the week leading up to his passing.

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours.

1574515007445.png
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours.

View attachment 66954

Thank you for the reminder.

That is the memorial stone Rebekah Scott and I placed in 2014. The nearby tree and marker stone were a collaborative effort from forum members. I hope the tree is still there. It was intended to grow and provide shade to pilgrims walking the Meseta.

Thanks for making me remember...
 
I'm not an expert but we wondered recently whether that's what Atlantic weather is like? Rain and sunshine swiftly following each other? ☺

Well, I live on the other side of that same ocean, about 10 km from the beach. I can tell you that the majority of our weather comes from the southeast, off the Atlantic Ocean.

At times, if the winds shift, our weather will come from the southwest, from the the direction of the Gulf of Mexico, but these clouds must first travel 100 km or more, across the Everglades, to get to my area.

On a typical day, it rains here in the early morning hours, before sunrise, then bands of clouds can drift over a provide very interesting if short rain showers. It does not even have to be generally cloudy.

It can rain on a very sunny day. If there is a cloud in any sky, there is a chance of rain, however, brief. So, this explains the high humidity much of the year, as well as the lush and beautiful tropical foliage.

"Sunshowers" are a common occurrence here. The other odd thing I notice is that it can rain on one side of a road, and not on the other, or on one block, and not another. While driving, it is common to encounter these 'ocean squalls' regularly. They are small and localized.

I understand the reason is that individual clouds coming in off the Atlantic may contain so much water, that it takes only the smallest stimulus to entice them to drop their suspended water as rain. Fortunately, living in a tropical zone, snow is not on offer...

Usually it is the temperature gradient when the clouds cross from the ocean to being over land that will cause the rain to fall. We have no mountains or even hills to interrupt the passage of the clouds, such as exist across northern Spain.

This is the same, but opposite of the patterns in northern Spain. Primarily, it is the temperature that makes the results more interesting. When I want to see snow, I either turn the TV on, or go visit someone up north during the winter.

Each January, I fly up to upstate New York State, just on the US side of Lake Erie, opposite Toronto, Canada, to fetch my mother to bring her down to Florida for part of the winter. After a couple of months here, I return with her, usually in March, before my "Camino-time" approaches. Each brief 3-5 day stay "up there" more than satisfies my desire to encounter snow...brrrr...;)

Hope this helps the dialog.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I'm hoping by the time I start on the 15th December it's a bit better.
In 2000 the Western Morning news had a running total on its front page of the days it had rained consecutively in Devon since early September, they started at around 80 and it got up to 103 days before we had a clear day.

...See any arks floating by?????:eek::eek::eek::eek:
 
Well, I live on the other side of that same ocean, about 10 km from the beach. I can tell you that the majority of our weather comes from the southeast, off the Atlantic Ocean.

At times, if the winds shift, our weather will come from the southwest, from the the direction of the Gulf of Mexico, but these clouds must first travel 100 km or more, across the Everglades, to get to my area.

On a typical day, it rains here in the early morning hours, before sunrise, then bands of clouds can drift over a provide very interesting if short rain showers. It does not even have to be generally cloudy.

It can rain on a very sunny day. If there is a cloud in any sky, there is a chance of rain, however, brief. So, this explains the high humidity much of the year, as well as the lush and beautiful tropical foliage.

"Sunshowers" are a common occurrence here. The other odd thing I notice is that it can rain on one side of a road, and not on the other, or on one block, and not another. While driving, it is common to encounter these 'ocean squalls' regularly. They are small and localized.

I understand the reason is that individual clouds coming in off the Atlantic may contain so much water, that it takes only the smallest stimulus to entice them to drop their suspended water as rain. Fortunately, living in a tropical zone, snow is not on offer...

Usually it is the temperature gradient when the clouds cross from the ocean to being over land that will cause the rain to fall. We have no mountains or even hills to interrupt the passage of the clouds, such as exist across northern Spain.

This is the same, but opposite of the patterns in northern Spain. Primarily, it is the temperature that makes the results more interesting. When I want to see snow, I either turn the TV on, or go visit someone up north during the winter.

Each January, I fly up to upstate New York State, just on the US side of Lake Erie, opposite Toronto, Canada, to fetch my mother to bring her down to Florida for part of the winter. After a couple of months here, I return with her, usually in March, before my "Camino-time" approaches. Each brief 3-5 day stay "up there" more than satisfies my desire to encounter snow...brrrr...;)

Hope this helps the dialog.
oh dear, you have got a mother? You are so lucky! rejoice and be glad.
Please, do not think I am being facetious. I am truly delighted that at the grand age you have attained, you still have your mother! Such a blessing...
 
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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.
Today I felt really tempted to start building one ;-) BC SY
And may I say, wherever it comes from, the rain hitting you in Galicia has wings, it is shooting all over the place. Have a look at the Norwegian weather app - someone here recommended it. I just love watching the rain pelting down all over the screen. When I am inside.
 
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oh dear, you have got a mother? You are so lucky! rejoice and be glad.
Please, do not think I am being facetious. I am truly delighted that at the grand age you have attained, you still have your mother! Such a blessing...

My mom will be 87 in early December. Her mom, an illiterate peasant from the old country (Sicily) lived until she was 96. That was in the 1970’s. I hope my mom has another 15 or 20 years to go.

Mom still runs the family home, keeps a tidy house, cooks, drives, attends Mass on her own, and does errands, grocery shopping, etc. She is feisty.

She actually asked about doing a short Camino. Believe me, if I thought there were any way, I would let her at least try.

Mom does not use a walking frame (aka a walker) and only chooses to use a cane at times, like when there is ice, snow, or gravel involved. She could totally do at least a few Km before needing a break.

Mom has no balance issues. But as my late father discovered the hard way three years ago, next week, falling when you are older is NOT good.

I agree that I am blessed to still have her. Perhaps the biggest source of her persistent “blues” is that all her siblings, as well as her spouse of 65 years, have all gone on to their eternal rewards.

In fact, TODAY would have been mom & dad’s 68th wedding anniversary (1951). Yes, I spoke to her earlier.

I call mom EVERY Sunday at 10:00 her time, regardless of wherever I happen to be in the world. That has made for some very interesting, and cryptic, calls during my career, when I needed to use a satellite phone from someplace no one could know where I was... But, I CALLED...

Those of you with living parents...cherish them. Remember, they will get to Heaven before you. You DEFINITELY want them to have only nice things to say about you. After all, mothers can intercede best with other mothers... just sayin...

Kirkie, thanks for giving me the opportunity to say something positive on my parents putative 68th wedding anniversary.
 
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She actually asked about doing a short Camino. Believe me, if I thought there were any way, I would let her at least try.

A few weeks ago a 92 year old woman arrived here in Santiago, from SJPdP, carrying her own backpack. With a bit of preparation and logistics, I am sure your mother can do Sarria>Santiago!
BC SY
 
I remember seeing a women a few years back who was doing very small distances every day after Sarria, she was getting on in years and had some mobility issues,she had her pack sent ahead and was going to pre-booked rooms,as the saying goes " where's there's a will there's a way",
 
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Tom, I always go mid April to late May and I guess I have been super fortunate. I'm e oguessing I have had only one day of real rain for every ten in five different caminos..a little more if I count insignificant short drizzling. 😊
Me too! I hate to say how lucky I have been in April, May, and September... just enough rain to appreciate it, a smattering of snow on May 1 at O Cebreiro.
 
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Thank you for the reminder.

That is the memorial stone Rebekah Scott and I placed in 2014. The nearby tree and marker stone were a collaborative effort from forum members. I hope the tree is still there. It was intended to grow and provide shade to pilgrims walking the Meseta.

Thanks for making me remember...
@t2andreo, without wishing to derail this thread, the tree is still there and growing strong. It got a bit of attention from the Ditch Pigs today in the warm afternoon sun 😀. We tidied the Pilgrim Memorial Garden in Astorga earlier in the week. All is well
 
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.
Thank you for the reminder.

That is the memorial stone Rebekah Scott and I placed in 2014. The nearby tree and marker stone were a collaborative effort from forum members. I hope the tree is still there. It was intended to grow and provide shade to pilgrims walking the Meseta.

Thanks for making me remember...
Hola - it was in May 2017, so hopefully has continued to thrive/survive
.195.JPG
 
Hola - it was in May 2017, so hopefully has continued to thrive/survive
.View attachment 67199

it's still there, takes a beating every summer butit keeps growing. I try to keep it watered when there's no rain.
Philip Wren's sister came last year and scattered his ashes there, so it is a true memorial now.
 
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,-
Tom, I always go mid April to late May and I guess I have been super fortunate. I'm guessing I have had only one day of real rain for every ten in five different caminos..a little more if I count insignificant short drizzling. 😊
I have been incredibly lucky as well for spring Camino weather. For late March early April starts, four out of five Camino's were almost perfect weather. Showers, but we never walked a full day in the rain. This year in early April the weather caught up with a little, but only 3 or 4 really wet/snowy days.

Our only fall Camino, the Primitivo was completely dry for us in mid September last year.
I would guess most of the dirt trails must be pretty water logged at this point with all the rain. I imagine the Spanish mud has had a good churning with all the pilgrims stomping through it!

20190404_091457.jpg
 
I have been incredibly lucky as well for spring Camino weather. For late March early April starts, four out of five Camino's were almost perfect weather. Showers, but we never walked a full day in the rain. This year in early April the weather caught up with a little, but only 3 or 4 really wet/snowy days.

Our only fall Camino, the Primitivo was completely dry for us in mid September last year.
I would guess most of the dirt trails must be pretty water logged at this point with all the rain. I imagine the Spanish mud has had a good churning with all the pilgrims stomping through it!

View attachment 67200

Just enough, but not too much... That is about all I can tolerate. Once it is ankle deep, it becomes dangerous, especially if it is wet and obscures Camino markers, signs and arrows.
 
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If only! Send us your rain to put out our fires and end our drought!
Or send us your prayers...
Love
Yes! Every day rain: a gift from the heavens! We have had 400mm since October 2018, and smoke haze every day since the fires. And we aren’t even the worst affected .....
 
Having been a Portland Oregon resident for 29 years, I do not understand what a 'sunbreak' is!!
But unlike Galacia, we rarely get horizontal rain.
 
Having been a Portland Oregon resident for 29 years, I do not understand what a 'sunbreak' is!!
But unlike Galacia, we rarely get horizontal rain.
😁

I always thought living in Santiago was like being in Seattle or Portland, but this year I was disabused of this notion when I finally did the research:
Seattle average annual total rainfall: 38 inches
Portland average annual total rainfall: 36 inches
Santiago average annual total rainfall: 75 inches!!!
 
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@natefaith
There are a number of weather stations in Oregon (and Washington) with nearly 100 inches of rain (Laurel Mtn Oregon (in Coastal Range) set a 1996 record of 204 inches)
But my measure is more the annual days of rain which makes Portland, Seattle, and Compostella nearly the same:
PDX 164
SEA 149
ScC 141
Good place to keep my Altus in training!!
 
@natefaith
There are a number of weather stations in Oregon (and Washington) with nearly 100 inches of rain (Laurel Mtn Oregon (in Coastal Range) set a 1996 record of 204 inches)
But my measure is more the annual days of rain which makes Portland, Seattle, and Compostella nearly the same:
PDX 164
SEA 149
ScC 141
Good place to keep my Altus in training!!

204 inches! Oh my! 😳
Days of rain is a good measure that I hadn't thought of.

Thankfully, this week the prediction is all sun for here. Have a good week in Portland! We have friends there and always enjoy visiting them.
 
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Where I'm from can get over 200 inches (5100mm) of rain per year. That's not a typo.
I feel right at home in Galicia. 🙃

Hilo in Hawaii gets warm rain, though. The November and December rain in Galicia is a cold rain. I know. I feel highly qualified to make this comparison . 🤭
 
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To all denizens of SdC:

spare a thought for that country which is often likened to Galicia, meteorologically speaking ... Wales .... especially in the West.
The only time we‘ve been spared rain, recently, we’ve had temperatures that have barely risen above 5°C by day; the nights are below freezing 🥶 (and ‘clear’ skies at night usually mean freezing fog, that lingers into the morning).

I’m currently wearing 6 layers on top, 2 on legs and 2 pairs of wool socks .... most of the layers are thin merino. My down vest is still in reserve 😉
 
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.

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