Why does it always rain on Easter?

Now that the days processions In Spain, lovers of this tradition look at the sky and weather forecasts. This is not surprising, because it seems that It rains every year on Easter. If we look back, we are faced with a huge series of memories of steps that had to go outside covered with plastic, or of fraternities that finally decided not to go out because of the rain.

This seems somewhat obvious. After all, Holy Week is celebrated at the beginning of spring. Sometimes it falls in March, sometimes in April, but always coincides with the change of season. As a result, rain is common. But is there something more?

In fact, the psychological factor must also be taken into account. Coincidentally, the people who most often feel like it always rains during Holy Week are the ones who enjoy the processions the most. Because for them, the memory of processions canceled due to weather conditions is associated with negative emotions. And these are the ones we usually remember most strongly.

Your brain is deceiving you

Our brains have a very amazing memory strategy: associate memories with emotions. Typically, an experience will always be associated with an emotion, be it negative, positive or perhaps neutral. Emotions are processed in areas of the brain such as hippocampus and cerebral cortex. But interestingly, these areas are also involved in memory.

Therefore, we more easily remember experiences that aroused strong emotions in us. Negative emotions They are usually the strongest, Unfortunately. For this reason, they are the easiest to remember. It doesn’t always rain during Holy Week, but the years when the skies remain clear are more unnoticed in the memory. Of course, for lovers of processions, the very fact of being able to enjoy them will also evoke strong emotions that they will remember over time, but perhaps not in such a vivid and real form that it seems that it is repeated over and over again.

So how long does it rain during Easter?

According to AEMET, between 1991 and 2020, the average number of years in which it rained on any day of Holy Week for almost all of Spain was twenty one. However, in cities such as Bilbao, it rained 29 out of 30 years.

On the other hand, when analyzing the week from 9 to 17 AprilThe number of days with rain varies from 1-2 in Almeria to 5-6 on the Cantabrian coast.

This indicates that it does rain during Holy Week, but this largely depends on the area we are in. Wherever it is, if we perceive rain as something negative, we will even remember exceptional days.

Obviously spring is the main reason

If it rains on Easter, it is because it is celebrated at the beginning of spring. This is a transitional stage between cold, dry winter air And humid, warm summer air. When both substances mix, the air tends to rise, causing moisture to accumulate and form clouds. Thus, when they reach a sufficient height and cool down, the water in the form of steam turns into a liquid state, causing rain.

That's why spring is rainy season and, therefore, Holy Week too. This year the forecasts point to rain, although there are a few things we need to keep in mind this season. It is particularly volatile, so forecasts made less than three days in advance should not be trusted. It may finally rain, and if it does, we might remember it well.