Cold, snow and ice in Spain: what to do

Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, Barcelona — winter here is mild, and nobody is ready for cold: not homes without heating, not drivers without chains. But inland and in the mountains winter is different — nights below zero and snow on the passes — and that is exactly where people go for the weekend. This guide answers from primary sources: AEMET (the Plan Meteoalerta and its anexo 1), the BOE (RD 486/1997, RDL 4/2023, Estatuto de los Trabajadores), the DGT (its magazine, press office and agency pages) and Protección Civil. Where a source is silent, we say so. Heat is covered in the guides on heat at work and on air conditioning in a rented flat; other hazards in floods and DANA and wildfires.

In 60 seconds: the essentials

1. Three AEMET colours: amarillo — the danger is low, 'esté atento'; naranja — significant, 'esté preparado'; rojo — extraordinary, 'actúe' and 'no viaje salvo que sea estrictamente necesario' (Plan Meteoalerta, version 9, point 4.2.2). AEMET has had no green level since 2022.
2. Thresholds are per zone, not per country. Minimum temperature for Litoral de Barcelona: -1 / -4 / -8 °C; for Sierra de Madrid and Pirineo de Lleida: -6 / -10 / -14 °C. Snow in 24 hours: 2 / 5 / 20 cm in Madrid Metropolitana y Henares, 5 / 20 / 40 cm in the Sierra. Look up your zone on aemet.es.
3. Snow high in the mountains is not a warning. As a general rule, AEMET does not issue a snow aviso above 1500 metres on the peninsula, above 600 metres in the Balearics and above 2000 metres in the Canaries (anexo 1, section 3). No aviso does not mean no snow on the pass.
4. Outdoor work: under an orange or red aviso for any adverse phenomenon, including extreme temperatures, adapting working conditions is mandatory if the earlier measures do not protect (RD 486/1997, DA única, point 3). The adaptation is conditional; the ban on certain tasks during the hours of the phenomenon — under point 2 — is conditional too.
5. The road: the DGT asks you to carry chains or have winter or all-season tyres (the DGT's wording) when snow is forecast; chains go on the drive axle; with metal ones, no faster than 30 km/h, with textile ones, 50; without chains where they are mandatory, only on tyres with the three-peak mountain or 3PMSF (Revista DGT, December 2023).
6. DGT road levels are not AEMET levels: amarillo — the carriageway starts to be covered with snow, rojo — already covered; the scale runs from verde to negro, where negro is 'se prohíbe circular'.

AEMET warnings: three colours and thresholds per zone

What the colour means

The Plan Meteoalerta, version 9 of 10 January 2025, defines an aviso as a forecast of the probability of an adverse phenomenon in a given zone and sets 'tres niveles definidos por colores: amarillo, naranja y rojo, en orden creciente de peligrosidad' (point 4.2). The meaning and recommendation for each (point 4.2.2):

• Amarillo. 'El peligro es bajo', but vulnerable people and property in exposed areas may suffer. Recommendation: ESTÉ ATENTO, follow the latest forecast.
• Naranja. 'El peligro es importante', serious consequences for the vulnerable are possible. Recommendation: ESTÉ PREPARADO, take precautions.
• Rojo. 'El peligro es extraordinario', very serious or catastrophic consequences are possible. Recommendation: ACTÚE as the authorities say and 'No viaje salvo que sea estrictamente necesario'.

AEMET has no green level: the plan's change log records for version 8 of 26 May 2022 'Se suprime el nivel verde de aviso'. If an official page — for example the Protección Civil risk page — still lists '4 niveles de aviso (verde, amarillo, naranja y rojo)', that is the old wording; the current plan knows three.

Thresholds: look up your zone

Thresholds for minimum temperature and snow are set not for the country but for the zone — anexo 1 of the plan (version 1 of 31 May 2022) gives a table for each autonomous community. A few rows from it, to show how far the figures diverge:

Format: minimum temperature amarillo / naranja / rojo, °C; snow in 24 hours amarillo / naranja / rojo, cm.

• Litoral de Barcelona — -1 / -4 / -8 °C; snow 2 / 5 / 20 cm.
• Litoral norte de Valencia — -1 / -4 / -8 °C; snow 2 / 5 / 20 cm.
• Madrid: Metropolitana y Henares — -4 / -8 / -12 °C; snow 2 / 5 / 20 cm.
• Sierra de Madrid — -6 / -10 / -14 °C; snow 5 / 20 / 40 cm.
• Pirineo de Lleida — -6 / -10 / -14 °C; snow 5 / 20 / 40 cm.
• Interior norte de Valencia — -6 / -10 / -14 °C; snow 2 / 5 / 20 cm.
• Interior norte de Castellón — -6 / -10 / -14 °C; snow 5 / 20 / 40 cm.

The same -4 °C on the Barcelona coast is already naranja, while in the Sierra de Madrid it is not yet amarillo. That is why we do not name 'the temperature at which the alert is declared': open the current avisos on aemet.es, find your zone and look at the phenomenon (temperaturas mínimas, nevadas), the colour and the hours in force.

Snow above 1500 metres: no aviso is issued

Section 3 of anexo 1 adds a rule that matters for mountain trips: 'como norma general, no se dará aviso de nieve por encima de 600 metros en Illes Balears, de 2000 metros en Canarias y de 1500 metros en las demás Comunidades Autónomas, aunque localmente puedan acordarse altitudes inferiores con la Protección Civil correspondiente a nivel de zona'. The source gives no reason; locally, by agreement with Protección Civil, a lower altitude may be set. The absence of a snow aviso does not mean the pass is clear; check the state of the specific road with the DGT, see below.

Working in the cold: the same rule as for heat

The 2023 rule on outdoor work was not written only for heat. The disposición adicional única of RD 486/1997, added by Real Decreto-ley 4/2023 and in force since 13 May 2023, requires measures to protect workers 'frente a cualquier riesgo relacionado con fenómenos meteorológicos adversos, incluyendo temperaturas extremas' (point 1). Cold, snow and ice are adverse phenomena just as heat is.

The key point 3: if AEMET or the regional weather service has issued an orange or red aviso and 'las medidas preventivas anteriores no garanticen la protección de las personas trabajadoras', it becomes 'obligatoria la adaptación de las condiciones de trabajo, incluida la reducción o modificación de las horas de desarrollo de la jornada prevista'. Three things follow:

• The colour of the aviso does not by itself stop work. Adaptation is mandatory, and only if the earlier measures — from the employer's evaluación de riesgos — do not protect. But point 2 of the same DA requires those measures to include 'la prohibición de desarrollar determinadas tareas durante las horas del día en las que concurran fenómenos meteorológicos adversos' — where protection cannot be guaranteed otherwise; that ban does not depend on the aviso colour.
• The phenomenon can be any: an aviso for temperaturas mínimas, nevadas or viento triggers the same condition as an aviso for heat.
• The rule applies to all workplaces, including those excluded from RD 486/1997 under art. 1.2: temporary or mobile construction sites, and fields, forests and other land of an agricultural or forestry business outside its built-up area (point 4).

How to ask for measures in writing, when you can interrupt work under a riesgo grave e inminente, what to do if the employer does not react — all of it is covered in the guide on heat at work: the mechanics are the same, only the phenomenon changes.

The road: chains, winter tyres and DGT levels

What the DGT asks when snow is forecast

In its notes of 2023 and 2026 the DGT press office repeats the same formula. The note of 22 January 2026: 'Si se va a circular por las zonas donde hay previsión de nevadas, llevar instalados neumáticos de invierno, de todo tiempo o disponer de cadenas'. The note of 23 February 2023 says the same: carry chains 'por si su utilización fuera necesaria' or drive on winter tyres. Both notes add: 'Dejar libre el carril izquierdo para permitir el paso de vehículos de conservación de carreteras y quitanieves' — in a snowfall the left lane is for snow-clearing vehicles. Among possible measures both notes list traffic restrictions for vehicles without winter tyres or chains, the 2026 note also without all-season tyres: 'Restricciones a la circulación a vehículos que no cuenten con neumáticos de invierno, todo tiempo o cadenas'. The DGT publishes road status on dgt.es, on X and by phone on 011.

Chains and tyres: what the DGT magazine says

The Revista Tráfico y Seguridad Vial (December 2023) describes the options like this:

• Chains. 'Pueden ser metálicas o de tela. Con las primeras se recomienda no circular a más de 30 km/h, con las segundas el máximo es 50'. Fit them 'siempre en el eje motriz', on a four-wheel drive on the front axle.
• Winter tyres. 'Su uso está previsto para temperaturas inferiores a 7ºC. Deben estar marcadas con las letras M+S, el dibujo de una montaña de tres picos o 3PMSF. Sólo en estos dos últimos casos permiten circular sin cadenas en caso de ser obligatorio su uso'. That is, the M+S marking alone does not replace chains; the three-peak mountain or 3PMSF does.
• All-season tyres. Per the magazine, comparable in performance to winter tyres in cold and snow and to summer tyres in summer, but they may wear faster.

The same article gives the practice: 'lo primero es reducir la velocidad y aumentar la distancia de seguridad'; in a skid, steer gently into the skid, do not let go of the wheel and do not stamp on the brake; packed snow is more slippery than fresh snow; 'estas placas suelen formarse en zonas de sombra, con alta humedad o con orientación norte'.

DGT road levels: not to be confused with AEMET

The DGT has its own colour scale, and it is about the road, not the weather. The DGT magazine infographic (December 2021): 'Del verde (comienza a nevar) al negro (se prohíbe circular), estos colores le explican si puede o no circular y si necesita cadenas o si los camiones tienen que dejar la circulación'. The DGT page on circulación excepcional defines the two middle levels: 'El nivel amarillo de circulación se activa cuando la calzada comienza a cubrirse de nieve. El nivel rojo, cuando la calzada ya está cubierta de nieve'. This DGT page speaks of buses and heavy lorries, to which an exceptional-circulation regime applies at the rojo level, and says nothing about cars; the DGT press notes, however, list traffic restrictions for vehicles without chains or winter tyres among possible measures.

What we do not include: speed limits for each level and details of the negro level — the DGT texts we checked do not contain them, beyond the one phrase 'se prohíbe circular'. Check the DGT road-status map before leaving, not retellings on social media.

At home and in town: what Protección Civil advises

The Protección Civil page on the 'frío intenso o nevadas' risk defines the phenomenon briefly — 'un enfriamiento importante del aire o una invasión de aire muy frío sobre una zona extensa' — and refers to AEMET and the DGT. Its concrete advice to the public is in its note of 11 January 2021, issued after the heavy snowfall of the preceding days:

• Stay at home and do not travel: 'quedarse en casa y evitar desplazamientos por carretera, salvo casos excepcionales'.
• If you must drive anyway: 'llevar cadenas o neumáticos de invierno, el depósito de combustible lleno, el móvil cargado y ropa de abrigo'; the phone 'con batería de recambio y/o cargador de automóvil'.
• If you get stuck in snow: 'permanecer en el coche, con la calefacción puesta, renovando cada cierto tiempo el aire' and 'vigilar que el tubo de escape no esté obstruido para evitar que los gases penetren en el interior del vehículo'.
• Neighbours: 'Interésese por las personas mayores y enfermas, y aquéllas que vivan solas o aisladas'.
• Information: 'Infórmese de la situación meteorológica y del estado de las carreteras'.

What these sources do not contain — and what we therefore do not write: rules on heating a rented home, on burst pipes, on insurance against snow and frost, on domestic heaters. If those questions matter to you, they are a separate topic, and we have flagged it at the bottom.

Checklist: a mountain trip or a night below zero

1. 1

   Check the AEMET aviso for your zone

   Open aemet.es, avisos section: phenomenon (temperaturas mínimas, nevadas), colour and hours in force for your zone. Thresholds differ by zone — a figure from the news about another city tells you nothing.

2. 2

   Check road status before leaving

   The DGT publishes road status on dgt.es and by phone on 011; for the roads of Cataluña and the Basque Country, the DGT names as competent bodies the Servei Català de Trànsit and the Dirección de Tráfico del Gobierno Vasco. Under a red aviso, AEMET recommends not travelling unless strictly necessary.

3. 3

   Pack the car per the Protección Civil and DGT list

   Chains, winter or all-season tyres (the DGT's wording; marked M+S, three-peak mountain or 3PMSF), a full tank, a charged phone with a spare battery or car charger, warm clothing. Chains go on the drive axle.

4. 4

   On the road: slow, with margin

   With metal chains the DGT recommends no faster than 30 km/h, with textile ones the maximum is 50. Increase your distance, stay out of the left lane — it is for snow-clearing vehicles — and expect ice in shade, in high humidity and on north-facing slopes.

5. 5

   Stuck — stay in the car

   Per Protección Civil: stay in the vehicle with the heating on, airing it periodically and checking that the exhaust pipe is not blocked — otherwise gases enter the cabin. Report the situation and wait for help; 112 is the general emergency number, not named in these sources.

What we could not confirm

• Fine amounts for driving without chains where they are mandatory, or for ignoring a DGT level — the DGT texts we checked do not contain them.
• Speed limits per DGT level (verde, amarillo, negro) — only the negro phrase 'se prohíbe circular' and the definitions of amarillo and rojo are confirmed.
• A landlord's duty to provide heating or a minimum temperature in rented housing — not researched; the sources of this guide contain no such rule.
• Insurance for damage from snow, frost, burst pipes — not checked; the guide on floods covers the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros, but cold is not mentioned there.
• Whether anexo 1 is current — ours is the edition of 31 May 2022; the plan itself was updated in 2025, and the threshold table may have changed.
• Where the Servei Català de Trànsit and the Dirección de Tráfico del Gobierno Vasco publish road status — we confirmed only that the DGT names them as the competent bodies.
• Whether a red cold aviso by itself gives the right to absence under ET, art. 37.3 when the road is open — we found no official reading; see the guide on heat at work.

Common mistakes

• Waiting for a 'Spain-wide' alert temperature. There is none: -4 °C on the Barcelona coast is naranja, in the Sierra de Madrid not yet amarillo. Look up your zone.
• Assuming no aviso means no snow in the mountains. Above 1500 metres on the peninsula AEMET as a rule issues no snow aviso. Check the road with the DGT.
• Confusing AEMET and DGT colours. AEMET rojo is a dangerous phenomenon in the zone; DGT rojo is a carriageway covered with snow. Different scales, different agencies.
• Relying on the M+S marking. Per the DGT magazine, without chains where they are mandatory you may drive only on tyres with the three-peak mountain or 3PMSF.
• Driving with chains as usual. With metal ones, no faster than 30 km/h, with textile ones the maximum is 50; chains go on the drive axle.
• Leaving a stuck car in a blizzard. Protección Civil advises staying inside with the heating on and airing the cabin.
• Demanding a 'stop-work' by aviso colour. Under naranja or rojo adapting conditions is mandatory, and only if the earlier measures do not protect; the right to interrupt work is separate, under a riesgo grave e inminente.

This article is for reference and describes state rules and official recommendations; regional protocols and your convenio colectivo may add rules — check aemet.es (the current aviso for your zone), dgt.es (road status) and boe.es (RD 486/1997, Estatuto de los Trabajadores). Facts were checked against these sources on 5 October 2026. If you need a Russian- or Ukrainian-speaking lawyer for labour or traffic law, see our vetted directory.