Sierra Nevada snow history

10 years of snow depth, snowfall and conditions at Andalusia, Spain · 2,100m to 3,300m

Over the last 10 seasons Sierra Nevada, Spain has averaged 320cm of snowfall, a peak snow depth of 19cm, 5 powder days and 19 bluebird days a year.

Snow history & climate

10-year averages for Sierra Nevada

320 cm
Snowfall / season
Nov-May total
19 cm
Peak depth
typical season high
5
Powder days
15cm+ in a day
19
Bluebird days
sun after snow
43
Rain days
1mm+ of rain
9
Skiable days
30cm+ cover

Month by month

Monthly averages

Average snowfall, snow depth, rain, sunshine and day counts by month at Sierra Nevada, over the last 10 seasons.
MonthSnowfallAvg depthRainSun/dayTempPowderBluebirdRain days
Jan51 cm7 cm21mm8.2 h0° / -6°0.73.33.2
Feb38 cm11 cm29mm9.3 h1° / -5°0.51.12.6
Mar111 cm6 cm17mm9.3 h1° / -5°2.46.14.3
Apr41 cm1 cm50mm11.1 h5° / -2°0.52.99.5
May22 cm0 cm48mm12.8 h9° / 2°0.21.411.2
Jun1 cm0 cm56mm13.6 h15° / 7°0.00.010.7
Jul0 cm0 cm26mm13.7 h20° / 11°0.00.08.0
Aug0 cm0 cm46mm12.7 h19° / 10°0.00.09.8
Sept0 cm0 cm68mm11.4 h15° / 6°0.00.010.6
Oct11 cm0 cm59mm9.8 h10° / 3°0.10.79.4
Nov28 cm1 cm56mm8.7 h4° / -2°0.42.06.7
Dec29 cm2 cm41mm8.1 h2° / -4°0.21.85.0

Averages across the last 10 seasons. Powder, bluebird and rain columns are the average number of such days per month.

Season by season

SeasonSnowfallPeak depthPowder daysBluebird daysSkiable days
2025/26414 cm126 cm92788
2024/25339 cm6 cm5270
2023/24318 cm4 cm4130
2022/23leanest172 cm4 cm1100
2021/22397 cm10 cm6260
2020/21301 cm13 cm3180
2019/20282 cm9 cm2210
2018/19237 cm4 cm2110
2017/18best560 cm7 cm13220
2016/17177 cm11 cm4110
How these numbers are calculated
  • Powder day — at least 15cm of new snow in 24 hours.
  • Bluebird day — sunshine for at least 60% of daylight, following at least 10cm of snow over the previous 3 days.
  • Rain day — at least 1mm of rain (not snow) at this elevation.
  • Skiable day — at least 30cm of settled snow on the ground.
  • Snow depth is modelled from Open-Meteo / ERA5 reanalysis at 2700m, not measured at the resort. Use it to compare seasons and resorts; use the resort's own report for today's conditions.

How Sierra Nevada compares

Measured against 40 other resorts across 18 countries, each analysed exactly the same way. The line down the middle of each bar is the median.

Snowfall per season
about average
320 cm
Ahead of 57% of resortsMedian 283 cm

Total new snow between November and May.

Peak snow depth
well below average
19 cm
Lowest of every resort we compareMedian 84 cm

How deep the settled base gets at its yearly high.

Powder days
well above average
5
Ahead of 80% of resortsMedian 2

Days with 15cm or more of new snow.

Bluebird days
well above average
19
Ahead of 85% of resortsMedian 10

Sun and fresh snow on the same day.

Rain days
above average
43
Drier than 37% of resortsMedian 32

Days with 1mm or more of rain, not snow.

Skiable days
well below average
9
Lowest of every resort we compareMedian 115

Days holding 30cm or more of settled snow.

When to go

These rarely land in the same month, so it is worth deciding which one matters most before you book.

Deepest base
February
11cm average depth
Most new snow
March
111cm and 2.4 powder days
Best bluebird odds
March
6.1 bluebird days, 9.3h sun a day
Wettest month
May
11.2 rain days

Is Sierra Nevada a good place to ski or board?

frequent powder daysplenty of bluebird daysthe base does not get especially deepthe season is shorter than average

On 10 years of record, Sierra Nevada stands out for frequent powder days and plenty of bluebird days. The trade-off is that the base does not get especially deep and the season is shorter than average.

Figures are modelled at 2700m from reanalysis data and describe an average year, not a forecast.

Sierra Nevada snow record in detail

How much snow does Sierra Nevada get?

Sierra Nevada averages 320cm of snowfall over a full season, measured from November to May across the last 10 winters. That is about average: more snow than 57% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median season brings 283cm.

Season to season the spread is wide. The best of the last 10 winters was 2017/18 with 560cm, and the leanest was 2022/23 with 172cm — a difference of 388cm between a good year and a poor one. The most recent complete season, 2025/26, delivered 414cm.

March is reliably the snowiest month, averaging 111cm and 12 days with fresh snow.

How deep does the snow get at Sierra Nevada?

Snowfall totals flatter resorts that lose their snow quickly, so the more useful number is how deep the settled base actually gets. At Sierra Nevada the snowpack peaks at an average of 19cm each season. That is well below average, deeper than fewer than every other resort in the set, against a median peak of 84cm.

The base is deepest in February, averaging 11cm through the month and topping out around 15cm in a typical year.

How many powder days does Sierra Nevada get?

Counting any day that delivers at least 15cm of new snow, Sierra Nevada averages 5 powder days a season. That is well above average, more powder days than 80% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median is 2 a season.

March has the most, 2.4 on average.

How often does Sierra Nevada get bluebird days?

Sierra Nevada averages 19 bluebird days a season — days of sunshine for at least 60% of daylight after 10cm or more of fresh snow. That is well above average, more than 85% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, against a median of 10.

March is the best month for it, averaging 6.1 bluebird days and 9.3 hours of sunshine a day.

Does it rain at Sierra Nevada?

At mid-mountain Sierra Nevada sees an average of 43 days a season with 1mm or more of rain rather than snow. That is above average: 63% of the 40 other resorts we have analysed the same way see fewer wet days, against a median of 32.

May is the wettest month of the season, with 11.2 rain days and 48mm on average.

When is the best time to ski or board Sierra Nevada, and when does the season end?

For the deepest base, go in February; for the most new snow, March; for fresh snow with sunshine, March.

Comparisons use 40 resorts across 18 countries, each measured over 5 recent seasons at mid-mountain height. Glaciated locations, where the model never melts the snow out, are excluded. Figures for Sierra Nevada are taken at 2700m. Corpus last rebuilt 2 September 2026.

Sierra Nevada month by month

What to expect in each month of the season, from the same ten-year record. Figures are averages for mid-mountain; a good or poor winter can move them a long way.

Sierra Nevada in November

Too early

In November cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 1cm through the month. It brings 28cm of new snow in an average year, with 5 snow days and 0.4 powder days. Average highs are 4°C and lows -2°C, with 8.7 hours of sunshine a day and 2 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 6.7 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average November.

Sierra Nevada in December

Too early

In December cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 2cm through the month. It brings 29cm of new snow in an average year, with 5 snow days and 0.2 powder days. Average highs are 2°C and lows -4°C, with 8.1 hours of sunshine a day and 1.8 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 5 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average December.

Sierra Nevada in January

Too early

In January cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 7cm through the month. It is the second-snowiest month of the season, with 51cm of new snow on average, 8 snow days and 0.7 powder days. Average highs are 0°C and lows -6°C, with 8.2 hours of sunshine a day and 3.3 bluebird days. Expect the odd wet day — 3.2 on average at mid-mountain.

Sierra Nevada in February

Season over

By February the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 11cm. It brings 38cm of new snow in an average year, with 7 snow days and 0.5 powder days. Average highs are 1°C and lows -5°C, with 9.3 hours of sunshine a day and 1.1 bluebird days. Expect the odd wet day — 2.6 on average at mid-mountain.

Sierra Nevada in March

Season over

By March the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 6cm. It is the snowiest month of the season, with 111cm of new snow on average, 12 snow days and 2.4 powder days. Average highs are 1°C and lows -5°C, with 9.3 hours of sunshine a day and 6.1 bluebird days, the most of any month. Rain is a real risk: 4.3 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average March.

Sierra Nevada in April

Season over

By April the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 1cm. It is the third-snowiest month of the season, with 41cm of new snow on average, 7 snow days and 0.5 powder days. Average highs are 5°C and lows -2°C, with 11.1 hours of sunshine a day and 2.9 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 9.5 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average April.

More on Sierra Nevada

Ski resorts near Sierra Nevada

Distances are straight-line, not by road.