Due to Spain's geographical situation and orographic conditions, we can find three main climatic zones:

The Mediterranean climate: characterized by dry and warm summers. According to the Köppen climate classification, it is dominant in the peninsula, with two varieties: the typical Mediterranean climate (Csa climate), present in most of the country, and the Galician variant (Galicia and Northwest Castilla), with summers less hot due to the proximity of the ocean (Csb climate) or the altitude.

The semiarid climate (Bsk): located in southeastern quarter of the country, especially in the region of Murcia and in the Ebro valley. In contrary to the Mediterranean climate, the dry season extends beyond the summer.

The Oceanic climate: Winter and summer temperatures are influenced by the ocean, and have no seasonal drought. In the coastal strip near the Basque Country, the Asturias, and in some highlands, we find essentially a "southern" nuance (sometimes called "Aquitanian"), which differs from the typical type by hotter summers (average July temperature of 21 °C (69.8 °F) in Santander, vs 16 °C (60.8 °F) in Brest or Liverpool).

For some authors, Galicia presents an oceanic climate too, because of lower temperatures in summer than in the typical Mediterranean climate. Nevertheless, Northwest Spain is often affected by forest fires due to the summer drought, and has more daily sunshine than the typical oceanic regions. Considering the entire nation, we can find other sub-types like the alpine climate in the Pyrenees, and a Humid subtropical climate in the Canary Islands.

The rain in Spain does not fall mainly in the plain. It falls mainly in the northern mountains.