Does it always rain during Easter? Here's what the data says
The general perception is that we should keep an eye on the sky during these dates.
BarcelonaEaster is approaching and everyone who has a holiday is planning what they are going to do. Therefore, it is at times like these when the weather becomes more important than ever to know if the rain will affect our plans. The general perception of the majority of the population is that it always rains at Easter, at least some of the days. But is this really the case?
If we look at recent years, we have had a bit of everything. Last year we had very changeable weather. We had a fairly placid start to the key days of Easter, but during the second half of the holidays the showers reappeared in many places. We were just at the beginning of the break in the drought dynamic and at the gates of a period that was rainy in our country. Therefore, and taking into account the little water that fell until then, Easter in the years 2022 and 2023 – the worst of the drought – hardly any rain and the sun or calm dominated. So, we come from a few years in which the weather during Holy Week is not entirely representative, since it has been Very marked by the historic drought.
But we must take into account that spring is one of the rainiest seasons in which the weather is changeable and very variable. Therefore, it is normal that during the week and a half that Easter lasts it rains at some point. In this way, we could say that the perception of most people that it rains during Easter is quite valid and real.
It all depends on when Easter falls.
Depending on the year, Easter can fall in March or throughout April. This greatly influences the weather during this holiday period, as in March we can still have the last lash of winter, with a colder environment and a risk of snow at relatively low altitudes in the Pyrenees. However, although in April the risk of rain is also high, temperatures are usually more pleasant. If we add to this the fact that the new daylight saving time has already been implemented with more light in the afternoon, all this encourages us to be outside more.
Precisely this year Easter falls very late, in the second half of April. This suggests that, whether it rains or not, temperatures will already be fully spring-like and much more comfortable. But, statistically, does it rain a lot at this time? If we take Good Friday as a reference, one of the key days of the holidays and when there are many events throughout the country, the data is curious.
This year, Good Friday falls on April 18, and data from the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (SMC) since 2009 indicate that on this day, traditionally, rainfall is below average. On April 18, the different SMC meteorological stations usually add up to a total of 250.3 l/m² of average climate throughout Catalonia. But since 2009, on this particular day it has rained on average 63% less than usual.
Therefore, statistics say that the key days of this Easter fall on dates when the risk of rain is lower than at other times in spring. The exception is found in Easter 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, when Good Friday also fell on April 18, and that day it rained more than twice as much as normal. In fact, that Easter was exceptionally rainy in general.
What do the maps say about this Easter?
There is still a long way to go before Easter and it is practically impossible to venture a weather forecast. But based on long-term maps, April seems to be wetter than usual. This therefore suggests that rain may make an appearance during those days and exceed the climatic average for precipitation. All this remains to be confirmed.