Sunday, 07 February 2016 09:44

The 5 Reasons Why The Canary Islands Weather Is So Good

Ideal weather in the Canary Islands Ideal weather in the Canary Islands www.photosgrancanaria.com

Here's what gives the Canary Islands their world-famous good weather. 

The Trade Winds

flower fieldThe wind in the Canary Islands blows from north to south almost every day. This brings cool air from the North Atlantic and keeps the Canary Islands climate within the pleasant range. The Winds also blow away any cumulus clouds that form via evaporation away and keep the skies blue. 

The Trade Winds help to keep hot dusty air from North Africa away from the Canaries (most of the time) and also stop humid tropical air from creeping north. 

The Bubble of Sunshine

Canary Islands sunshine bubblesAs the Trade Winds collide with the highlands of the Canary Islands, they are diverted around them. This creates a cloud-free bubble of sunshine over the south of the islands and means that south Gran Canaria and south Tenerife have some of the sunniest weather in the world; Over 300 days of blue sky every year.

Latitude

The Canary Islands latitudeThe Canary Islands are right in the sweet spot for climate: Just south of the mild Mediterranean and just north of the hot tropics.

The Canary Islands are at the same latitude as other places famous for the climate such as Florida, Egypt and Baja California.

It means we have pleasant weather without cold snaps or high humidity; Just warm weather all year round and no Tropical Storms.

 

The Cold Canary Current

tropical beerThe Canary Islands should be much hotter than they are as they are close to the Tropics and to the Sahara Desert. However, the Cold Canary Current keeps the islands surrounded by cool water that flows down from Europe.

Ironically, it's the same water that keeps Britain and Scandinavia warmer than they should be; Warm flows across the Atlantic from the Caribbean, cools down in northern Europe, then flows down the west coast of Europe before reaching the Canaries. 

By the time it reaches us, it's a cool 18ºC to 21ºC; Perfect for taking the edge off the Saharan heat. 

The Sahara Desert

MaspalomasçThe vast deserts of North Africa keep the Canary Islands hot and sunny and also protect them from tropical storms and Atlantic depressions. A dome of hot rising air sits over the Sahara for most of the year and acts like a shield that pushes storms away from the Canary Islands. It's why we've only had one Tropical storm in 100 years. 

It's why we've only had one Tropical storm in 100 years and are warm and sunny while everywhere else is covered in rain clouds.

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Tip of the day

  • The Best Gran Canaria Weather Forecast
    The Best Gran Canaria Weather Forecast

    The single most common question we get in the Gran Canaria Info group is...

    What is the weather going to be like during my holiday?

    The answer is almost always the same: If you are going to south Gran Canaria's resorts, it is very likely to be sunny every day. Yes, even in the winter. Yes, even though your weather app says it is going to be cloudy. Yes, even in January. And in February, etc.

    Obviously it does sometimes rain in Gran Canaria, even in the sun-baked south, and there are occassional cloudy days. 

    To check for these rare rain and clouds there is no point using generic weather apps because they use data that averages out the weather and temperature across Gran Canaria.

    This means that the forecast for Puerto Rico and other resorts includes weather and temperatrure predictions for inland and highland areas that are cooler and cloudier.

    So, instead of believing your current weather app use the Spanish weather service website called the AEMET. It's website has detailed and very accurate forecasts for individual resorts, town and even beaches.

    Here's the forecast for the Mogán area including Puerto Rico.

    The mobile website works very well in English although the app is only in Spanish at the moment.  

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