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Weather In Spain


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Looks like some unseasonably warm weather will affect many parts of Spain in the lead up to Christmas, with temperatures into the 70s fahrenheit for those lucky enough to be taking a mid-winter break on the Costas.

Temperatures have exceeded 70°F/21°C at numerous locations over the past few days, with the picturesque Andalusian town of Salobreña on the Costa Tropical reaching 24.2°C/75.6°F yesterday (16/12).

You want snow to feel festive? Just an hour away from Salobreña is the Sierra Nevada ski area where, though conditions are not at their best there is still snow a-plenty - webcams http://en.sierraneva...ta/webcams.aspx

Carve a few turns in the morning, catch some rays on the beach with a cold cerveza in the afternoon, perfect!

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The 25.4°C at Santander airport beats the December record of 24.6°C from 02/12/1985 (figures from aemet.es).

Temperatures at some of the Mediterranean coastal towns have been slightly disappointing in the last couple of days because of extensive sea fog and onshore breezes, but the warmth has been generally widespread with every province reaching 21°C yesterday apart from the northern inland high ground of Castilla y Leon, Madrid and La Rioja.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Nottingham
  • Location: Nottingham

25'C and sunny today in Los Cristianos, southern Tenerife, Canary Islands. Open and subjective question, does this place have the best/most pleasant all round climate in the world?

Also, only very rarely does the temperature in southern Tenerife fall below 15'C at any time of year day or night. What is the lowest possible temperature you could have here in feasible weather conditions at this latitude and bearing in mind it has a huge mountain shielding it to the north.

Edited by Racing Green
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25'C and sunny today in Los Cristianos, southern Tenerife, Canary Islands. Open and subjective question, does this place have the best/most pleasant all round climate in the world?

Also, only very rarely does the temperature in southern Tenerife fall below 15'C at any time of year day or night. What is the lowest possible temperature you could have here in feasible weather conditions at this latitude and bearing in mind it has a huge mountain shielding it to the north.

The wikipedia page for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria makes reference to a study which claim the city has the best climate in the world, coming top out of 600 cities worldwide for ideal living and holiday conditions. This features in a book called "Pleasant Weather Ratings: Enjoy Travel More and Save Money by Planning for the Weather", the author of which is/was supposedly director of research on climatology at Syracuse University, New York.

Of course this is totally subjective, but Los Cristianos does have a great climate for those seeking sunny weather, warm all year but rarely oppressive. If there was a nitpick it maybe a little on the dry side if one was to live near sea level, the tropical greenery relies on extensive irrigation. Figures from aemet show annual average rainfall at nearby Tenerife Sur airport is a desert-like 116mm. Higher up on the northern sides of the islands are much greener where they catch the clouds from the north-easterly trade winds, Tenerife north airport at over 600 metres averages 557 mm.

The lowest temperature at Tenerife Sur airport was 9°C in 1988 but figures only go back to 1980. Gran Canaria airport recorded 6.5°C in 1954 so below 10°C is probably possible but very rare.

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Posted
  • Location: Hobart, Tasmania
  • Location: Hobart, Tasmania

The wikipedia page for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria makes reference to a study which claim the city has the best climate in the world, coming top out of 600 cities worldwide for ideal living and holiday conditions.

Posted Image

I can see the appeal. I wish I had not turned down a job opportunity there a decade ago...even if it was selling timeshare!

Must admit though I prefer temperate living with its distinct seasons.

Edited by Styx
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Posted
  • Location: Nottingham
  • Location: Nottingham

The wikipedia page for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria makes reference to a study which claim the city has the best climate in the world, coming top out of 600 cities worldwide for ideal living and holiday conditions. This features in a book called "Pleasant Weather Ratings: Enjoy Travel More and Save Money by Planning for the Weather", the author of which is/was supposedly director of research on climatology at Syracuse University, New York.

Of course this is totally subjective, but Los Cristianos does have a great climate for those seeking sunny weather, warm all year but rarely oppressive. If there was a nitpick it maybe a little on the dry side if one was to live near sea level, the tropical greenery relies on extensive irrigation. Figures from aemet show annual average rainfall at nearby Tenerife Sur airport is a desert-like 116mm. Higher up on the northern sides of the islands are much greener where they catch the clouds from the north-easterly trade winds, Tenerife north airport at over 600 metres averages 557 mm.

The lowest temperature at Tenerife Sur airport was 9°C in 1988 but figures only go back to 1980. Gran Canaria airport recorded 6.5°C in 1954 so below 10°C is probably possible but very rare.

So it seems a study has been done which finds the Canaries are about as good as it gets? I'm not surprised. Although even in the Canaries the weather can vary. Northern Tenerife as you say is cloudier, cooler and wetter than the south and Lanzarote is sunny but extremely dry and windy.

So Santa Cruz de Tenerife (northeast but sunny side of the mountain) or Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have the most pleasant climates of any city in the world due to slightly more precipitation than southern Tenerife or Lanzarote/Fuerteventura.

In Santa Cruz or Las Palmas January/February are their coldest months but have temperatures of around 22'C - pretty much like the UK in July/August, only winter in the Canaries are sunnier with less chance of rain than a UK summer. July/August the Canaries are usually around 28'C, so like the Mediterranean in July/August with sunshine almost guaranteed.

What are other places in the world with a climate comparable? I'm guessing somewhere in Australia would be close...

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Posted
  • Location: Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
  • Location: Newton Aycliffe, County Durham

Yeah 22 degrees in the winter sounds great, and to be fair so does 28 degrees in the summer. The thing is though, the sun at that time of year at that latitude is so intense that it's almost unbearable. Think of the difference in sun strength at any given time of the year between England and say Majorca, it's very noticeable. Well then you've got the same difference again between say Majorca and Tenerife. So the difference between England and Tenerife is huge.

I mean even in Southern England in June/July, if the shade temperature is 28, the sun temperature can be over 45 and pack some real heat.

I've been to various Med locations in high summer with shade temperatures of 28, 32, 35 and it feels very much hotter again out in the sun.

Once went to Tenerife at the back end of July and some days were "only" 26 degrees in the shade, some were 30 or 32 obviously, but out in the sun it was unbelievably intense heat - never felt anything like it, I bet it was 60 degrees. The Canaries are 28N latitude, not a million miles North of the Tropic of Cancer, the northern boundary of where the sun is directly overhead in mid summer.

So looking at shade temperatures and thinking "ooh 22 and 28, looks perfect" can sometimes give you a false impression of how hot it really is.

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Posted
  • Location: Nottingham
  • Location: Nottingham

Yeah 22 degrees in the winter sounds great, and to be fair so does 28 degrees in the summer. The thing is though, the sun at that time of year at that latitude is so intense that it's almost unbearable. Think of the difference in sun strength at any given time of the year between England and say Majorca, it's very noticeable. Well then you've got the same difference again between say Majorca and Tenerife. So the difference between England and Tenerife is huge.

I mean even in Southern England in June/July, if the shade temperature is 28, the sun temperature can be over 45 and pack some real heat.

I've been to various Med locations in high summer with shade temperatures of 28, 32, 35 and it feels very much hotter again out in the sun.

Once went to Tenerife at the back end of July and some days were "only" 26 degrees in the shade, some were 30 or 32 obviously, but out in the sun it was unbelievably intense heat - never felt anything like it, I bet it was 60 degrees. The Canaries are 28N latitude, not a million miles North of the Tropic of Cancer, the northern boundary of where the sun is directly overhead in mid summer.

So looking at shade temperatures and thinking "ooh 22 and 28, looks perfect" can sometimes give you a false impression of how hot it really is.

Good post. In order to get those shade temperatures in winter you have to be at those latitudes though right?

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Posted
  • Location: Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
  • Location: Newton Aycliffe, County Durham

Pretty much yeah. Mind 22 degrees there in January would be beautiful because the sun would not be anywhere near as intense, but still strong enough.

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Posted
  • Location: Nottingham
  • Location: Nottingham

Pretty much yeah. Mind 22 degrees there in January would be beautiful because the sun would not be anywhere near as intense, but still strong enough.

Indeed. It is currently clear and sunny, 22.9'C, with a breeze of 7 kmph. Absolutely fantastic down there at this time of year.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Interesting article about the deep low pressure which affected the Canaries last week, which for the high altitude Izana observatory gave the 6th lowest barometric reading in nearly 100 years of records and was accompanied by hurricane force winds

http://izana.aemet.es/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=312%3Aa-storm-of-hurricane-winds-affected-izana-observatory-on-early-march&catid=10%3Anews&Itemid=49〈=en

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Manchester
  • Location: Manchester

Hi been looking at the weather forecast In the Canary Island (Gran Canaria) and the weather seems to be going a bit downhill for the middle part of next week as the winds are coming down from the north.... If there is anyone with a bit of Knowledge help me out :)

 

Cheers,

Lee

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The trade winds are typically from the north-northeast anyway but at this point it looks like the ridge from Azores high will weaken a little to the north of the Canaries strengthening the winds over the weekend and allowing a weak cold front to arrive from the north next Tuesday, but gradually improving towards the end of the week as the ridge re-establishes itself.

In the hills and mountains this may drop temperatures quite markedly with 850mb temperatures roughly 1500 metres or so falling maybe 10 degrees from the 20°C+ at the moment, especially with any cloud and possible light rain showers, but away from cloud the visibility should improve as any haze clears.

Be very unlucky to catch too much cloud or any rain on the beaches to the lee of the high ground and though temperatures may be a couple of degrees down on current values they should still be in the in the high teens at night and low to mid 20s in the day and of course the sun will be scorching.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...
Posted
  • Location: Villalba (917masl, Madrid, Spain)
  • Location: Villalba (917masl, Madrid, Spain)

This Summer is the second warmest since 1900. 

 

 

From the NW of Madrid (917 masl):

 

Minimun temperature summer 2013: 7,5 

Maximun temperature summer 2013: 39,7º 

 

July average: 27,3º (+6,5º)

August until today: 26,2º (+5,9º)

 

Storms days: 16 (since July)

Rainy days: 2

 

Historical records summers since 1985: 

 

Minimun: 3,7º

Maximun: 40,1º 

 

 

Greatings from Madrid

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry, not looked at this thread for a while. The Spanish met agency AEMET have a good site with a mobile version - http://www.aemet.es/es/movil

Guess it's a bit late now, but anyway there was no need to worry as the Mallorca weather has been good over the last month, as per usual with temperatures at the airport about a degree above average - max 28.7 min 17.2 mean 23.0 compared to average max 27.7 min 15.9 mean 21.8

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Wigan 259 ft ASL where it always rains
  • Weather Preferences: Hot Sun ,Snow and Cold
  • Location: Wigan 259 ft ASL where it always rains

My wife and i were in the torrevieja/Cartagena area of SE Spain between the 30/9 & 6/10, the weather was unbeliveable, most days were cloudless and  the temp was maxing out at 29-32c and the nights not falling below 21-22c, it was like high summer but without the crowded roads/beaches etc, definately a nice time to visit a beautiful part of the world.

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