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lanzarote weather and average daily temperatures

The Canary Islands are frequently called 'The Islands of Eternal Spring' and have warm and sunny weather all year round, with temperatures rarely dropping below 20ºC in the winter and 25ºC during the summer months. During an average year there are normally no more than 16 days of rainfall and these can usually only be expected to occur during the 3 month period of December to February.

Unlike most of the other Canary Islands, Lanzarote has no really high mountains, so therefore rain clouds rarely have the opportunity to form, and although the island lies only a little way to the north of the Tropic of Cancer, the unique combination of both Gulf and Trade Winds that sweeps the island, somehow prevent it from mirroring its nearest neighbour the Sahara desert.

As a generalisation, the north of the island is usually windier and cloudier than the south, which is due partly to the moist trade winds normally blowing from the north. The southern part of the island on the other hand is much drier and hotter and can experience as much as 2,500 hours of sunshine per year. The most moderate climate on the island is usually found in central Lanzarote, and here, as you would expect, is where most of the local population chose to live.

Occasionally during the summer months the daytime temperature on Lanzarote has been known to exceed 40°C. This will then often trigger a phenomenon known to the locals as either "Tiempo Africano" or more commonly "La Calima". During this period, which may last anything from a matter of a few hours up to a week, fine sand particles from the Sahara are blown over the Canary Islands by south easterly winds and visibility has known to drop to less than 100 metres.

During La Calima many local residents often experience respiratory problems due to the poor air quality, and every exposed exterior surface will normally be covered in a fine reddish brown dust. Special precautions are also taken by commercial airlines flying into the island as these particles of sand have also been known to destroy a jet engine in a matter of a few hours.

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