Statistics can give a general indication but don’t show detailed variation. Indeed, one of the things that differentiate the winters (or any of the other seasons, for that matter) from northern European weather is that there is less variation. Although we can have severe rainy periods at this time of year, most of the days in between are remarkably steady. This is due to the high pressure systems that keep storms away from us, in the main.
December is generally a sunny month and this winter it has been exceptionally so, with hardly any cloudy days and afternoon temperatures often well into the 20 degrees Celcius – so typical of a lovely June afternoon in England.
Another very important factor around the shortest day in late December is that unlike English afternoons, when darkness descends by 4pm, here in southern Spain it doesn’t go dark until around 6.30pm – a wonderful bonus!
January, and especially February can seem a little harsh sometimes, especially when we know of the prolonged hot, dry weather to come later in the year. But it is all relative. Yes, we can get stormy weather during the first two months of the year and occasionally if we have two or three dark and windy days together, we begin to doubt the sun will return. Never fear. Very soon the sunshine does come back and we can usually count on temperatures around 18C each afternoon.
Frost is virtually unknown with the very lowest overnight temperatures around 3C, though normally it does not fall below 7 or 8C. After rainy days at this time of year, we may see a dusting of snow on the top of nearby Monte Maroma, but that is at a height of 2069 metres.
It has to be said, though, that a few times each winter there will be very strong winds often coming down from the north, swirling over the mountain peaks and these can be unpleasant indeed.
All in all though, winters here, east of Málaga, are comparable to good spring weather in northern Europe and, as we are situated about 18 degrees of latitude further south of much of northern Europe, the sun is that same degree of angle higher in the sky, meaning that there is genuine warmth in its rays.
Life continues outdoors during the majority of winter days, and long, cold, rainy periods are virtually unknown.
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