Barcelona experiences a record-breaking rainy December with hardly any sunshine in 2025

Barcelona has barely seen the sun in December. Just 27 hours of sunshine in 15 days. Rainfall exceeds 150 litres in some places. Find out why this month is breaking every record. Will the sun return before the end of the year?

Barcelona is facing an unusual December in 2025: the city has recorded only 27 hours of sunshine in the first half of the month, representing just 19% of the total potential. Rain has taken centre stage, leaving accumulations of more than 150 litres per square metre at some observatories, well above the usual average of 47 litres for this period.

According to data from Observatori Fabra, only 26.7 hours of sunshine out of a possible 137 have been recorded in the last 15 days, a figure far below what was expected. Up to 27 December, the total number of sunshine hours barely reaches 98.8, far from the average of 164.2 hours recorded over the last 30 years for this month.

This December stands out not only for the lack of sunlight, but also for the heavy rainfall. Some parts of the city have already exceeded 150 litres per square metre, establishing this month as one of the rainiest in recent times.

Despite these isolated episodes of low sunshine, the long-term trend shows an increase in sunshine hours in Barcelona. Since 1968, the climate series at Observatori Fabra has revealed an increase of around 400 hours a year. The year 2019 was the sunniest, with 2,954 hours, while 1977 remains the greyest, with just 2,284 hours. The annual average between 1991 and 2020 stands at 2,615 hours of sunshine.

With these data, December 2025 is shaping up to be a historic month both for the lack of sun and the abundance of rain, breaking the city’s usual pattern and leaving Barcelona residents waiting for the return of good weather.