|
A typically beautiful sunset
The weather can be
summarised as follows:
Hot Summers
Sunbathing weather every day. Very little rain. Daily highs
about 35ēC and nightly lows 15ēC. Shirtsleeve weather all the
time evenings included.
Mild Winters
Mixture of beautiful clear, sunny winter days with overcast but
warm days. Evenings cooler. First rains in October can be heavy
but rarely last more than a day or so. Daily highs about 20ēC
and nightly lows rarely much below 10ēC. Shirt sleeves,
sometimes with a pullover in the day, jacket in the evening.
Some myths expelled
Isn't the Costa de la Luz
very windy?
Parts of it are, yes. But those
are the southern parts, between Cadiz and Gibraltar. The winds
rise primarily where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean,
making southern towns on the Costa de la Luz like Tavira popular
with windsurfers. Further north and west along the Spanish
Algarve both sea and winds are much calmer. The winds of the
Atlantic in this area are also predominantly western. The coast
is sheltered from the western winds by the peninsula of Faro in
Portugal. The beaches also face south and so are not very
exposed to the western wind. There is generally a gentle breeze
in the mornings and evenings. This wind is gentle and soothing
and actually stops the temperatures reaching sweltering
proportions in the peak of summer.
Isn't the Atlantic very
cold?
Certainly not. Ask the millions
of tourists who flock to the Portuguese Algarve each year. The
water around Isla Canela and Islantilla is even slightly warmer
than it is in Portugal because the Guadiana River moves warm
water out on top of the colder seawater. Furthermore the ocean
floor along the coast slopes very gently away from the shore so
the shallow water near land becomes warmer as it is heated by
the sun. In late April the water temperature climbs above twenty
degrees Celsius and it doesn't drop below twenty again until
late October.
Does it get as much sun
as the Med?
It actually gets more! There are
an average of 320 days of sun per annum on the Spanish Algarve.
In the summer the heat is not as intense as the Costa del Sol
and is much more pleasant, especially when enjoyed on a lovely
sandy beach with a glass of something cold to hand!
Weather Comparison Table
Spanish Algarve
|
Jan |
Feb
|
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec
|
|
69 |
52 |
69
|
31 |
21 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
17 |
51 |
65 |
67
|
|
6 |
7 |
7 |
9 |
10 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
9 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
|
17 |
17 |
18 |
21 |
23 |
26 |
29 |
30 |
27 |
22 |
20 |
17 |
Costa del Sol
|
Jan |
Feb
|
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec
|
|
61 |
52 |
62 |
46 |
28 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
29 |
64 |
64 |
62 |
|
6 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
11 |
11 |
11 |
9 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
|
17 |
17 |
18 |
21 |
23 |
27 |
29 |
31 |
27 |
23 |
20 |
17 |
|
