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The Costa Tropical has mild winters, warm summers and a sea you can swim in from June to October. The mountains behind the coast are the reason. This guide goes through the year season by season, and explains the local winds and the autumn storms that buyers should know about.

Why the mountains make the difference

The Sierra Nevada rises a short drive inland and blocks the cold north winds that chill inland Andalucía in winter. That is why citrus, mango and avocado trees grow outdoors here. Tourism brochures claim about 320 sunny days a year. We have never counted, but grey days are rare enough that people notice them.

In December you can sit on a terrace in Salobreña in shirtsleeves while the peaks behind you are white with snow.

Winter and spring: mild days and a cool sea

The figures here come from the weather station at Málaga airport, on the same coast, and are a good guide to ours. In January the average daytime high is about 17 °C and the sea about 15 °C: too cold for most swimmers, but perfect for a long walk. It rains on about six days in January and seven in December.

Spring is our favourite time for viewing homes. The daytime high is about 21 °C in April and 24 °C in May, while the sea is still only about 18 °C. It rains on about four days a month in March and April, and three in May.

Autumn storms and the DANA

Autumn, from September to November, can bring sudden heavy storms. Locals call them DANA or gota fría ("cold drop"). When cold air high up meets a sea still warm from summer, a lot of rain can fall in a few hours. In September 2023 one brought warnings of up to 25 litres per square metre an hour for the Costa Tropical and the Alpujarras. November and December are the wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain each on average.

Terral, the hot wind from the hills

The terral is a hot, dry wind that blows from the land towards the sea, and it can raise the temperature sharply in a few hours. It is best known in Málaga, where it comes down from the hills behind the city.

On our coast, treat any hot, dry, still day the same way: keep the shutters half closed until the afternoon and avoid long walks at midday.

Levante, poniente and the afternoon breeze

The east wind is called the levante and the west wind the poniente, and you will hear both names every day. For buyers, the wind that matters most is the afternoon sea breeze. It is the main summer wind in Motril, and it keeps the seafront cooler in July than the thermometer suggests.

Summer heat and the sea

June to September is the hot season. The average daytime high at Málaga airport is about 28 °C in June and 30 °C or a little more in July and August. The sea is about 20 °C in June and 23 °C by late July. August is the hottest month, with the sea close to 25 °C, and in September it is still about 23 °C.

The chart compares air temperature at Málaga airport with sea temperature at Motril.

Read our tropical fruit calendar for what grows each month, the Costa Tropical beaches guide for the best places to swim, and ski and sea on the same day for a winter day out. For buying, see the Costa Tropical guide and the house hunter.