Humidity on the Camino Francés in May?

aussiecanuck · Tuesday at 12:59 AM

Hello, bon jour, buenos dias todos...I am so looking forward to starting my journey in April. After watching the movie, The Way, My Way back in June, it has inspired me. Over the last 5 months I have been avidly reading the posts from the other pilgrims, making notes, marking my guidebook, printing out spreadsheets, etc. I appreciate the information I have gleaned and I hope to benefit from it for my "planning" / organising.

I am not liking the summer heat and humidity here in Sydney Australia for training. So my question is, "how is the humidity along the Camino Frances in May?" I can find the recorded temperate ranges from 2023, but not the corresponding humidity. If low, then it will give me optimism for when I walk! If high, then I will have to start early in the morning and deal with it! If anyone has any experience, thank you for sharing. And yes, I realise that humidity ranging anywhere from 90-100% probably means rain!

Also any tips for training in the hot weather for a camino in the cooler weather will be appreciated! I have already invested in a reflective umbrella that helps, and I am considering bringing it with me for when I am walking later in May. As someone pointed out, it only weighs as much as an (uneaten) apple...and could be useful to hide behind when needing a private moment and not a tree or bush is to be found!

Merci ... gracias

Robo · Tuesday at 4:17 AM

I've walked a few Caminos in April/May and also come from Sydney.
It can get warm in May but I have never really noticed high humidity.

dougfitz · Tuesday at 6:46 AM

Here is a link to the AEMET climate data for SDC. You will see that the average humidity in Apr and May is about 76%. I'm not sure how helpful that is, given that it isn't clear how much variation there is in the values across the day. By way of comparison, the relative humidity in Sydney at the Observatory Hill weather station at 1630 this afternoon was 65%.

Joe.Iozzi · Tuesday at 7:06 AM

I have walked three caminos in May and it was never humid, other than during the occasional rain storm.

Robo · Tuesday at 9:00 AM

dougfitz said:
Here is a link to the AEMET climate data for SDC. You will see that the average humidity in Apr and May is about 76%. I'm not sure how helpful that is, given that it isn't clear how much variation there is in the values across the day. By way of comparison, the relative humidity in Sydney at the Observatory Hill weather station at 1630 this afternoon was 65%.

Given that SDC is in Galicia........where it rains a lot.
It might be interesting to see the figures for a couple of places along the way?
Sorry couldn't see where to do that

SYates · Tuesday at 9:16 AM

Humidity isn't really a problem, Spain isn't like the tropics ;-) Prepare for rain, yes, but in May on the Francés prepare also for warm-hot days and glorious spring flowers ;-)
BC SY

Anhalter · Tuesday at 10:05 AM

Walked twice mid May to mid June. Experienced pretty much everything between 0°C and 35°C. Humidity was usually no issue however. While there is always a chance for freak weather that goes into extremes (I've seen some snow in June...), it was generally quite pleasant hiking weather most of the time. So don't worry to much, it is a good time to walk and in case something extreme comes your way you can always adapt as you go.

dick bird · Tuesday at 10:33 AM

aussiecanuck said:
Hello, bon jour, buenos dias todos...I am so looking forward to starting my journey in April. After watching the movie, The Way, My Way back in June, it has inspired me. Over the last 5 months I have been avidly reading the posts from the other pilgrims, making notes, marking my guidebook, printing out spreadsheets, etc. I appreciate the information I have gleaned and I hope to benefit from it for my "planning" / organising.

I am not liking the summer heat and humidity here in Sydney Australia for training. So my question is, "how is the humidity along the Camino Frances in May?" I can find the recorded temperate ranges from 2023, but not the corresponding humidity. If low, then it will give me optimism for when I walk! If high, then I will have to start early in the morning and deal with it! If anyone has any experience, thank you for sharing. And yes, I realise that humidity ranging anywhere from 90-100% probably means rain!

Also any tips for training in the hot weather for a camino in the cooler weather will be appreciated! I have already invested in a reflective umbrella that helps, and I am considering bringing it with me for when I am walking later in May. As someone pointed out, it only weighs as much as an (uneaten) apple...and could be useful to hide behind when needing a private moment and not a tree or bush is to be found!

Merci ... gracias

Nothing even remotely like Sydney in summer. It is actually quite pleasant to walk the Camino in May.

aussiecanuck · Tuesday at 11:11 AM

dougfitz said:
Here is a link to the AEMET climate data for SDC. You will see that the average humidity in Apr and May is about 76%. I'm not sure how helpful that is, given that it isn't clear how much variation there is in the values across the day. By way of comparison, the relative humidity in Sydney at the Observatory Hill weather station at 1630 this afternoon was 65%.

Thank you @dougfitz. The last couple of days the humidity has been bearable in Sydney. Being a coastal city, it tends to be more affected with humidity than the towns and cities more inland, further away from the coast. Being that I'll be walking "inland" across the top of Spain, I hope that the humidity will be bearable.

aussiecanuck · Tuesday at 11:14 AM

SYates said:
Humidity isn't really a problem, Spain isn't like the tropics ;-) Prepare for rain, yes, but in May on the Francés prepare also for warm-hot days and glorious spring flowers ;-)
BC SY

Yes, @SYates, I am definitely looking forward to experiencing Spring in Spain!

aussiecanuck · Tuesday at 11:22 AM

Anhalter said:
Walked twice mid May to mid June. Experienced pretty much everything between 0°C and 35°C. Humidity was usually no issue however. While there is always a chance for freak weather that goes into extremes (I've seen some snow in June...), it was generally quite pleasant hiking weather most of the time. So don't worry to much, it is a good time to walk and in case something extreme comes your way you can always adapt as you go.

Thank you @Anhalter for your optimism. I am anticipating good weather mixed with surprises, and hopefully I will have packed appropriately. I was out 2 weeks ago in Calgary where it was snowy and -10oC, wearing my Camino clothes, and I was okay. Discard the layers and I will be okay for the warmer temps of spring. My hope is that I won't have to experience those extremes, but if I do, I know that I will be okay.

aussiecanuck · Tuesday at 11:27 AM

dick bird said:
Nothing even remotely like Sydney in summer. It is actually quite pleasant to walk the Camino in May.

@dick bird, Sydney has just left "spring" but already we have experienced summer weather. It's been difficult trying to get out for practice walks when the sun is out and the temps crept up from 18-28 degrees. I am so looking forward to walking in the low to mid teens, in the sun!

Yankee · Tuesday at 2:55 PM

aussiecanuck said:
Hello, bon jour, buenos dias todos...I am so looking forward to starting my journey in April. After watching the movie, The Way, My Way back in June, it has inspired me. Over the last 5 months I have been avidly reading the posts from the other pilgrims, making notes, marking my guidebook, printing out spreadsheets, etc. I appreciate the information I have gleaned and I hope to benefit from it for my "planning" / organising.

I am not liking the summer heat and humidity here in Sydney Australia for training. So my question is, "how is the humidity along the Camino Frances in May?" I can find the recorded temperate ranges from 2023, but not the corresponding humidity. If low, then it will give me optimism for when I walk! If high, then I will have to start early in the morning and deal with it! If anyone has any experience, thank you for sharing. And yes, I realise that humidity ranging anywhere from 90-100% probably means rain!

Also any tips for training in the hot weather for a camino in the cooler weather will be appreciated! I have already invested in a reflective umbrella that helps, and I am considering bringing it with me for when I am walking later in May. As someone pointed out, it only weighs as much as an (uneaten) apple...and could be useful to hide behind when needing a private moment and not a tree or bush is to be found!

Merci ... gracias

I wore hiking boots, smart wool socks, light weight hiking pants, a sweat wicking t-shirt, a hooded sweat shirt, baseball cap, and I had a rain jacket in my small backpack. The rain jacket was nice because the wind from the mountains was cold. I bought the sweat shirt in Astorga. There are city stores on the Way. Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, and Leon are large cities. I walked the Camino France in May and June of 2023.

My made up quote for the Camino France/Spain is "Mountains, Hills and maybe an Elevator at your Hotel". Train on hills or mountains if you can. Invest in knee braces for the down side of the hill and mountains. I envy you and can not wait to walk the Camino Portugues in August or September 2025.

JerryStroebele · Tuesday at 4:27 PM

You are smart to carry a UV umbrella. Buen Camino

dougfitz · Tuesday at 4:29 PM

Robo said:
Given that SDC is in Galicia........where it rains a lot.
It might be interesting to see the figures for a couple of places along the way?
Sorry couldn't see where to do that

Here are the pages for:

trecile · Tuesday at 4:57 PM

This Camino Weather site is helpful:

Camino de Santiago - forecast and historical weather

Get a personal daily weather forecast for the Camino de Santiago for the exact dates you're planning to go. Or browse to pick the best time of year.

caminoweather.com

aussiecanuck said:
It's been difficult trying to get out for practice walks when the sun is out and the temps crept up from 18-28 degrees. I am so looking forward to walking in the low to mid teens, in the sun!

I wouldn't count on it only being in the low to mid teens - heat waves can happen in May. And on the other hand so can cold and wet days with some thunderstorms thrown in for good measure.

3ball · Tuesday at 6:24 PM

Thanks Trecile. I do not see that it shows wind. Does anyone know of a similar historical record of wind?

OzAnnie · Tuesday at 7:08 PM

Robo said:
I've walked a few Caminos in April/May and also come from Sydney.
It can get warm in May but I have never really noticed high humidity.

trecile said:
I wouldn't count on it only being in the low to mid teens - heat waves can happen in May. And on the other hand so can cold and wet days with some thunderstorms thrown in for good measure.

Year to year, as you’ve noticed, it changes. No planning will guarantee it.
April May would be a pretty good bet IMO..
& spring flowers

Also I live a little inland from sydney and humidity is higher there because we don’t get the benefit of the coastal breeze.

You really will enjoy the way., no matter what weather comes your way. The spirit and camaraderie and scenery will outweigh all else.

Buen camino.

Damien Reynolds · Tuesday at 7:56 PM

Ah man... May is the best. I think you'll get to walk through/among tons of wildflowers. The poppies are outstanding.

May is what some people call a "shoulder month"... that means it's not overly crowded nor is the weather too extreme.

dougfitz · Tuesday at 10:23 PM

3ball said:
Thanks Trecile. I do not see that it shows wind. Does anyone know of a similar historical record of wind?

The Spanish Meteorological Agency, AEMET, will have the authoritative historical record. You might have to register to use that data from their OpenData site here; https://opendata.aemet.es/centrodedescargas/inicio.

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Humidity on the Camino Francés in May?

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