When it seemed that winter was advancing smoothly, the atmosphere prepares a sharp turn in the weather. Between Sunday and Monday, Spain will be under the influence of an influx of polar air that will bring clearly lower temperatures and widespread snowfall, some of them far from the great peaks.
Here are the coldest days of the last weeks of 2025 and the communities that will perceive more intense low temperatures.
What is causing this radical change in weather
The origin of this episode lies in an alteration of the polar jet stream, the air current that circulates at high altitude and regulates much of the weather in mid-latitudes. During the weekend, this current will undulate more than usual, allowing a trough of very cold air to drop over the Peninsula.
This situation is compounded by the arrival of maritime polar air from the North Atlantic, a cold mass that, as it moves over the ocean, incorporates moisture. This combination of cold and instability creates the perfect scenario for abundant precipitation and significant snowfall.
Sunday: first snowfalls and lowering of the elevation
Precipitation will begin to spread from the early hours of Sunday, affecting the north and center of the peninsula. At that time, the snow elevation will be around 900-1,100 meters in the northwest and between 1,200 and 1,500 meters in large areas of the north and interior.
Throughout the day and especially during the night of Sunday, the entry of the cold front will cause the elevation to drop progressively. The communities most likely to receive snow will be Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, Navarra, Aragon, Castilla y Leon, the Community of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha.
The greatest thicknesses are expected in mountain areas, such as the Navarre and Huesca Pyrenees or the Central System, where they could accumulate around 20 centimeters. In other mountain systems, the amounts will be more modest, but sufficient to cover the landscape in white.
Monday: snow could fall lower than expected
The situation will be even more delicate during the early hours of Monday morning. Forecasts indicate that the snow level could fall below 600 meters in some areas of northern and central Castilla y León. If this scenario is confirmed, cities like León, Palencia or Burgos would not be left out of the possibility of seeing snow.
During the morning of Monday, the elevation will move between 600 and 900 meters in much of the north and interior, to go up again as the day progresses. In addition to the regions already affected, Extremadura and Andalusia could record weak snowfall in its highest mountain areas.
In specific points of the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains, total accumulations between Sunday and Monday could exceed 40 centimeters, leaving a full winter episode.
What to expect in the coming days
After the passage of this mass of polar air, the cold will continue to be the protagonist. The main mountain systems of the country will receive snow before Christmas, with thicknesses that in many summits will exceed 15 or 20 centimeters, especially in the Central System and the north of the peninsula.
Winter, far from saying goodbye, seems determined to recall its presence with force, in an episode that will mark the weather in the coming days and will force extreme caution on roads and mountain areas.
