Packing for a trip across Spain this weekend could be unusually tricky. While some cities in the interior will wake up to 3° C, there are places in the south of the country where the afternoon temperature may still be above 30° C.

The contrast comes as cooler polar air brings a touch of autumn to central and northern areas. But anyone reaching for winter clothing may not need it for long: temperatures are forecast to rebound over the weekend before warmer air spreads across much of Spain from Monday, the 12th of October.

For residents and visitors, it could be coats first thing in the morning, and considerably lighter clothing by the afternoon, according to where they are. The difference between the coldest mornings and the warmest daytime temperatures will approach thirty degrees.

Along with the pronounced change in temperatures, another complication for weekend plans is that Aemet warnings remain in place for heavy rain, thunderstorms, strong winds and rough seas, particularly in parts of the Mediterranean and the south.

From 3C to 31C: Spain wakes up to a dramatic temperature contrast

The biggest shock will come early in the morning. According to forecasts of Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, Aemet, Ávila could fall to just 3° C this Friday, making it one of the coldest provincial capitals.

Segovia is forecast to reach 4° C, while Burgos, León, Salamanca and Huesca may fall to about 5° C; Palencia, Soria and Teruel are expected to hover around 6° C.

Madrid is another example of autumnal cold, with a temperature of about 10° in the morning and about 20° in midday. Valladolid might have a beginning of 7° and end at 19°.

If you travel south, however, you might feel like it is a different season altogether.

Granada, Málaga, and Almería are to reach about 27°C. Seville and Huelva may reach 31°C, and Cádiz and Córdoba are forecast to climb to around 28°C.

That enormous north-south contrast means travellers across Spain should be prepared for very different conditions within the same day.

The colder mornings may be felt by those who have to get up early for work, catch a morning flight, or be out of doors. Meanwhile, travellers going south will still have to look for shade during the hottest hours of the afternoon.

Spain weather warnings: storms and rough seas could disrupt weekend plans

Temperatures are only part of the picture.Despite some of the recent rainfall abating, the Mediterranean and the south of Spain will remain unsettled. There will be locally heavy rain and thunderstorms, particularly in the vicinity of Ceuta and the south-eastern coast.

Aemet warnings are in force over areas including Girona, the Balearic Islands, Lanzarote and Ceuta for rain, thunderstorms, strong winds and dangerous coastal conditions.

Some of the most difficult conditions are expected around Girona’s coastline.In parts of the Empordà there is an orange warning for coastal conditions, where northerly and north-westerly winds may reach 50 to 70 km/h, and waves may rise to between three and four metres.

Menorca is also under an orange coastal warning, with potential waves of between four and five metres, and northerly winds of around 50 to 60 km/h.

In addition, southern Girona and parts of Mallorca are on yellow alert for wind and rough seas, while Ceuta and Lanzarote face yellow alerts for rain and thunderstorms. Rainfall could reach up to 15 liters per square meter in an hour in affected areas.

For anyone planning coastal walks, ferry journeys, beach visits or other activities close to the sea, the warnings are therefore more important than the relatively mild daytime temperatures might suggest.

Spain temperatures to surge again from October 12 as warmer air returns

The cold snap is not expected to last.During the weekend temperatures will rise and then a much warmer air mass will spread across much of Spain from Sunday into Monday, October 12. This will coincide with Spain’s National Day and the end of the Pilar long weekend.

According to forecasts cited from Meteored, an anti-cyclonic ridge could bring temperatures above the seasonal average across large parts of Spain from Monday through Thursday.

Badajoz, Córdoba, Huelva, Ourense and Seville could climb back to 30° C or above, with some local temperatures exceeding 32° C.

Cáceres, Cádiz, Murcia, and Zaragoza will approach 28° C; in Madrid, temperatures may reach around 25° C. Also the nights are expected to be milder, with minimum temperatures in many inland provincial capitals struggling to fall below 10° C.

What it amounts to is an unusually changeable few days for anyone making plans around Spain.

Friday morning will be, in certain inland towns, almost as cold as in winter, and next week the temperatures may be more reminiscent of late summer.

Practically, travellers can do no better than pack for both. A jacket in Castilla y León might be invaluable very early in the morning, while sunglasses and lighter clothing may be more useful a few hours later in Andalucía.

For those staying in Spain through the October 12 holiday, the weather story may ultimately be less about how soon autumn arrives than how quickly it appears to retreat again.

Europe’s construction industry is facing another subdued year, with high financing costs, expensive materials and weak housing economics continuing to restrain activity. Spain is among the stronger performers, while infrastructure, renewable energy and railway projects are providing some support across the continent.

European construction growth remains under pressure

Europe’s construction sector is expected to remain subdued in 2026, with sharp differences between national markets as high financing costs and weak housing economics restrain activity.

EU construction output is forecast to grow just 0.5 per cent this year. Infrastructure investment, energy projects and Germany’s gradual recovery are providing support, but residential building remains under pressure from borrowing costs, expensive materials and economic uncertainty.

Spain construction output forecast to rise 3%

Spain is among the stronger performers. Construction output is forecast to rise 3 per cent in 2026 after recovering from a fall of more than 25 per cent between 2019 and 2022. Housing permits nearly tripled between 2020 and 2024, although momentum is now easing, with permits falling almost 2 per cent in the second quarter. Spain also faces greater exposure to sudden cost increases because public contracts generally lack price-adjustment mechanisms.

France contracts as Germany returns to growth

Elsewhere, France is expected to contract 2.5 per cent this year, while Germany is forecast to return to growth after five consecutive years of decline. Poland is expected to remain broadly flat before improving in 2027.

The UK is not included in the EU-specific forecasts in the research, so no comparable British construction growth figure is provided.

Infrastructure provides strongest support across Europe

Across Europe, infrastructure remains the sector’s strongest support.

Energy construction continues to benefit from renewable power and electricity-grid investment, while railway projects include high-speed investment in Spain and Portugal. Housing recovery looks slower, with EU building permits stabilising after rising around 15 per cent between summer 2024 and the end of 2025, across many major urban markets.

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Spain has lost some 393,000 homes from its long-term rental listings in just seven years, according to new figures from property website Idealista.

The number of homes advertised for permanent rental fell from 902,664 in 2018 to 510,091 in 2025, representing a 44 per cent reduction.

Idealista’s figures only count active long-term rental advertisements and exclude seasonal lets and rooms, so they do not mean that 393,000 homes have simply been left empty. However, the dramatic fall raises fresh questions about what is happening to properties that were previously available to long-term tenants.

Where have Spain’s long-term rental homes all gone?

The reduction has happened while rental prices have been moving in the opposite direction. Idealista’s latest figures show Spanish rents were 5.6 per cent higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, at an average of €15.10 per square metre. Malaga province was among Spain’s most expensive areas, at €18.80 per square metre, after a run of rises that has already pushed Malaga rents above Barcelona.

Some of the country’s biggest tourist and expat markets have seen particularly strong pressure. Andalucia lost 34,403 long-term rental listings between 2018 and 2025, falling from 136,003 to 101,600. The province of Malaga is now one of Spain’s most expensive rental markets, with the latest Idealista figures putting the average at €18.80 per square metre.

For foreign residents, the problem is particularly relevant because the supply of homes available to rent is already competing with demand from Spanish households, international workers, students and people moving to popular coastal areas. Some of that demand is already spilling inland, with foreign renters searching in Jaen and Badajoz, places that were almost unthinkable before for expat living.

Are landlords being pushed out of the market?

That question is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as Spain introduces tighter rules for the rental sector. The latest Government housing measures include limits on rent increases, stronger protection for some tenants and restrictions affecting other parts of the rental market. Critics argue that increasing regulation can make some owners less willing to offer properties on the long-term market.

That does not necessarily mean every landlord is selling up or leaving a property empty, but some may have changed to seasonal rentals (AirBnB style), sell the property, use it themselves or simply decide that the potential legal and financial risks of becoming a landlord are not worthwhile.

That could include foreign owners who bought a second home in Spain and previously considered putting it on the long-term rental market when they were not using it themselves.

Landlords not the bad guys

Spain’s landlords are not simply big investment companies. More than 90 per cent of homes rented as habitual residences belong to private individuals who have just one rental property, according to a study by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the CSIC. These can be ordinary property owners who inherited a flat from a parent, for example, bought a second home when Spanish property prices were far lower, or acquired a property over many years and decided to rent it out. For such owners, becoming a landlord may be a relatively small part of their finances rather than a professional business. The question is whether increasingly complicated rental rules and concerns about recovering their property could persuade some of these owners to sell, leave their homes empty or choose another type of rental.

In the latest round of rental-law legislation, one of the measures that didn’t pass was that landlords would have had to pay back 12-month’s worth of rent to the tenant if they wanted to recover the property.

The Government disputes the idea that its policies are reducing the overall rental stock. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez has challenged the interpretation of the Idealista figures and says Spain has 380,000 more rented homes than in 2021.

Government figures also show that small private landlords still account for a substantial part of the rental market. A Ministry of Consumer Affairs and CSIC study found that private landlords with just one rented property account for around 39 per cent of rented homes, with the remainder held by landlords with multiple properties, companies, funds and public bodies.

Spain faces a serious rental supply dilemma

The competing figures underline the central problem facing Spain’s rental market. Protecting tenants can provide greater security for people already renting a home, but owners also need to believe that putting a property into the long-term rental market is worthwhile. Separate estimates already put Spain’s wider housing shortfall at around 740,000 homes.

With almost 393,000 fewer long-term rental advertisements than in 2018 and rents still rising, the question is no longer simply how Spain can protect tenants. It is also how the country can persuade enough property owners to keep offering homes to rent.