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July 31, 2024

Winds & Waves of Barcelona

Traditional Kayak
Topic:
Surfski
Outrigger
Environment

Barcelona is one very windy city... there is almost always either some breeze or markedly strong winds but there are very few days without movement of air. And wind usually means waves on the sea. Find out about the region's main wind directions and how they effect coastal navigation and paddling activities such as kayaking.

Southerly winds: time for fun on the sea

The predominant wind of Barcelona is its thermal wind, coming from a southerly direction. Thermal wind refers to a type of wind that is generated regionally by the temperature difference between the surface and the air. In the case of Barcelona and the Catalonian coastline, the sea temperature plays a key role. On sunny days, the air heats up relatively quickly during the morning hours but the sea temperature remains the same. The hot air rises and wind rushes in along the surface, and it keeps going on as long as the air is being heated up while the sun is at its strongest (so from midday till a few hours before sunset), the wind is constant. Thermal winds are strongest when the temperature difference is largest, so the strongest thermic days are during spring and early summer when the sea is still cool but the surface air heats up fast. The sea temperature is highest in August and September when the intensity of the thermal wind also subsides or it just disappears completely. 

The main benefit of the thermal wind is its consistency and predictability. It usually arrives between 11 am and 1 pm, picks up in intensity fairly fast, peaking between 3 to 5 pm then gradually dies down by 8 pm. It doesn’t come with sudden gusts (random changes in intensity) and doesn’t shift its direction. It also generates ‘clean’ (meaning unidirectional) waves that are extremely fast-paced and are a ton of fun to play with.

The southerly thermic wind is called migjorn in Catalan which literally means ‘midday’ as it tends to arrive around that time. Another frequent wind is the southwesterly garbí that is usually quite strong in itself and when combined with the thermal wind, it provides fantastic downwind paddling conditions with waves reaching over 1 meter in height. For that reason, within the local paddling community, whenever the conditions are great for downwind (be it a southerly or southwesterly wind), we just simply call it a ‘garbí day’. 

Somewhat less common is the southeasterly xaloc (siroco), a gentle wind similar in nature to the other two southerly winds (no shifts in its direction, clean waves) but it tends to be less intense, it generates smaller waves and lasts for less time.


Storm winds: majestic but only for the brave

The main easterly wind of Barcelona is called llevant (levante). Being quite strong, usually between 15–35 knots, and coming from farther out at sea, it moves massive quantities of water, the waves that come with llevant are larger, longer and have more power and energy. These are great for surfing but only for those with the right paddling skills. The waves are larger, stronger and far away from being ‘clean’. They come from two directions with one wave crossing the other at a roughly 30 degree angle. It requires quick reflexes from the paddler: judge which is the predominant wave in the moment and quickly shift direction if needed to catch it, then paddle really hard and strong to get onto the wave. Once on the wave, it will carry you farther than a thermal wind wave would carry you. The waves are harder to catch, they are messy which might make a paddler lose their balance and capsize, and climbing back in the craft can also be trickier in these conditions. The llevant is usually the result of stormy wind conditions farther out at sea, extending itself to the Barcelona coast but it doesn’t necessarily mean it comes with a storm. It could be just as sunny as on any other day.


When a true stormfront comes, it is usually from a northeasterly direction and its wind is called gregal: be prepared for a grey, cloudy sky, angry sea, and usually some rain.

The northerly tramuntana (tramontana) is a very strong, often gusty wind originating in the Pyrenees and generating massive waves from the Portbou–Cap de Creus area all the way to the Baleares. Due to the geographical peculiarities of the coastline, it almost never reaches Barcelona or the Maresme. It is definitely great fun for downwind paddling and day trips to the windy zone can be organized from our club.

Offshore winds: stay safe, stay on land

While the winter season is mild in Barcelona, with balmy temperatures above 20 degrees and lots of sunshine on most days, allowing for continued paddling activity, strong offshore winds can spoil the fun on certain days. 

The more common offshore wind is the westerly ponent (poniente), occasionally alternating with the northwesterly mestral (mistral). While a light, very weak ponent is common during the early mornings on summer days, creating perfect flatwater conditions at sea with the serenity of a mirror lake which is great for sprint training; during the winter that same wind can come with a strength of 15–35 knots, often lasting for 2-3 days. 

Whenever the offshore winds are over 10 knots, usually all paddling activities are prohibited. Depending on one’s skill, boat type, wind direction and intensity, there are certain limited areas that can be considered ‘safe zones’, making it possible to continue training on the water, but the safe bet is to just stay inside the port for training or don’t go out at all. Winter water temperatures further complicate things, and the importance of carrying safety equipment (adequate clothing, leg leash, paddle leash, GPS, radio) cannot be emphasised enough in case rescue is needed, but the best is not to risk it by going out when the winds are strong or there is a possibility that the wind might pick up or shift to an offshore direction.If you are new to paddling and not sure what to make of wind & wave forecasts, just ask your instructor before heading out for a practice session. Your paddling instructor will be able to tell you what wind conditions are okay for your current level of skills, whether you need more practice and what type of practice before being able to ‘level up’. We are lucky that here in the Mediterranean, the conditions are usually quite gentle, offering a perfect playground for paddling practice.


Useful links for wind, wave and weather forecasts:

Windguru Wind & wave forecast, simultaneously showing predictions by multiple weather stations.


Windy Wind & wave directions on a live map: wind waves, primary swell, and secondary swell.


AEMET Maritimo Forecast of wave direction along the Catalonia coastline: wind & swell waves.


Zoom Earth Live global weather map for wind and rain forecast.



Name of winds in Barcelona & Catalonia




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Cover image credit: Image by bearfotos on Freepik

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