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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The fear of flying affects an estimated 500 million people worldwide. Some of those people fly despite their fear, sometimes with the help of medication, while for others the fear is so severe that they avoid flying altogether.

For people with a severe fear of flying, the prospect of having to board a plane can be more than just uncomfortable, particularly when international travel becomes part of their working life. But what happens when an employer expects you to travel by air, and you have already made it clear that you cannot?

His employer knew about his fear for years

Giuseppe Capoluongo had worked as a cabling technician for Bergami Packaging Solutions in Altedo, near Bologna, since 2002. His fear of flying became an issue in 2011, when a possible work trip to the United States was discussed.

He told the company he suffered from aerophobia and supplied a medical certificate. Following a meeting involving a representative from the FIOM trade union, the company agreed not to send him on assignments that required air travel. For more than 12 years, he was not asked to undertake work trips involving flights. 

The passport request that led to his dismissal

That arrangement came under pressure in 2024, when the company wanted Capoluongo to be available for possible overseas assignments. It repeatedly asked him, including in writing, to begin the process of obtaining a passport. Capoluongo did not act on the requests. He maintained his position because of his fear of flying and believed the previous arrangement with his employer still applied.

The company treated his failure to comply as a disciplinary matter, taking account of earlier sanctions, and dismissed him on 27 March 2024. Capoluongo challenged the decision in court, but initially lost. In November 2025, the Bologna tribunal ruled in the company’s favour, finding that his medical certificate did not exempt him from obtaining a passport and that he had no sufficient justification for failing to do so. He appealed the ruling. 

Why the appeal court ruled in his favour

The Bologna Court of Appeal has now overturned that decision in part, finding that dismissal was a disproportionate response to his conduct. The judges did not say the company was wrong to ask him to apply for a passport. They accepted that the request was legitimate and that his failure to respond had disciplinary significance. However, they considered the circumstances in which the dispute arose, including the employer’s longstanding knowledge of his condition and the arrangement that had been followed for more than a decade.

After so many years without being asked to fly for work, Capoluongo could reasonably have believed that the agreement remained in place. His failure to act on the passport requests was not serious enough to justify losing his job, the appeal court found.  His lawyer, Alberto Piccinini, told Italian media that the key issue was proportionality. During the final discussions with the company, Capoluongo had indicated that he would proceed with the passport application if it was required. According to his lawyer, he was dismissed the following day. 

How much must the company pay?

Capoluongo’s lawyer, Alberto Piccinini, told Italian media that the key issue was proportionality. During discussions before his dismissal, the worker had indicated he would proceed with the passport application if the company required it. According to reports, he was dismissed the following day. 

The appeal court awarded him compensation equivalent to 20 months of his final salary. Based on monthly pay of over €2,500 this comes to over €52,000 with additional compensation for notice, interest and inflation adjustments. The court did not order the company to reinstate him. Its decision instead overturned the earlier ruling in the employer’s favour and found that dismissal was too severe a penalty for his failure to obtain the passport.