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This work describes the relationships between Spanish temperature and four teleconnection patterns with influence on the Iberian Peninsula on monthly, seasonal and annual time scales, using data from 144 meteorological stations. Partial correlation analyses were carried out using Spearman test, and spatial distribution maps of the correlation coefficients were produced with geostatistical interpolation techniques. We regionalize the study area based on homogeneous areas containing weather stations with a similar response of temperatures to the same patterns. The links between the temperature and the patterns are mainly positive; only the correlations with Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) in the north and west are negative, indicating that WeMO plays an opposed role in temperature behaviour in Spain. In general terms, the four modes exert considerable influence on temperature in February, May and September. The East Atlantic (EA) is the pattern with the strongest influence on temperature in Spain-mainly in the north-except in June. Generally, on the seasonal and annual scales, large significant areas were only observed for the EA. EA and WeMO best account for the mean temperature on the Mediterranean fringe and in northern Spain, while EA and North Atlantic Oscillation largely explain the temperature in the rest of Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the relationships between rainfall in Spain (1961–2010) and four teleconnection patterns on three time scales (monthly, seasonal and annual) using data from 144 meteorological stations. Spearman's test was used to carry out partial correlations, and spatial distribution maps of the correlation coefficients were generated with kriging method. We regionalise the study area into homogeneous areas containing weather stations with a similar precipitation response to the patterns. The links between precipitation and the NAO, AO and EA are generally positive in the east and negative in the west of Spain, whereas WeMO correlates positively in the north and negatively in the rest. As a general result, the winter months and winter season show the highest percentage of weather stations with statistically significant correlations. Spearman coefficients of up to 0.62 were found for the NAO, AO and EA. WeMO strongly correlates (values up to 0.55) from October to April. Five areas have been defined: centre/southwest, northwest, north, northeast, and southeast. The mode which best explains rainfall in the two western areas is the NAO; in the north, the WeMO exerts a notable influence; EA correlates better with precipitation in the two eastern zones, especially in spring, autumn and part of winter. They are better controllers of rainfall in these areas than in the whole of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]