Playa blanca Live Weather, Canary Islands, Spain

Weather Overview for Playa Blanca

Playa Blanca is a small resort located on the southern tip of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The island's easterly location, close to Morocco in North Africa, and its low-lying topography make it the hottest and driest of all the Canary Islands. But despite the resort's close proximity to North Africa, Playa Blanca enjoys much cooler temperatures than the nearby Sahara Desert. This is because the Canary Islands are located within the Gulf Stream, where the north easterly trade winds and Canary current keep the islands' temperatures mild all-year-round.

There are two mountain ranges within Lanzarote which cause some regional variation in temperature and rainfall. These mountains block most of the northeast trade winds, making the south of the island slightly drier and hotter than the north.

Playa Blanca, which literally translates into 'White Beach', was named after the 9km-long sandy bay that separates it from the sea and is broken into three beaches Playa Dorada, Playa Blanca and Playa Flamingo. Back from the beaches, you'll find a typical Canarian tourist resort, with a long promenade lined with hotels, apartment complexes, bars, restaurants and shops.

Playa Blanca enjoys a warm sub-tropical climate, with hot-to-warm temperatures and very little rainfall throughout the year. The year will consist of a hot, dry summer and a cooler, slightly wetter winter with months in-between featuring a gradual change in weather.

In Playa Blanca, temperatures typically range from lows of 15°C up to highs of 28°C, very rarely dropping below 12°C or rising over 35°C. The rainfall for the year is a meagre 142mm which falls on an average for 41 days, whilst the sun shines for more than 300 days in a year, making Playa Blanca a great place to enjoy some winter sun.

Spring Weather in Playa Blanca : March - April

Summer Weather in Playa Blanca : May - August

Summer which can be described as running from May to August is the hottest time to visit Playa Blanca. During this season, the average temperature is 22°C, which peaks at 25°C in August - the hottest month. Between these months, average highs at the hottest part of the day range from 24°C up to 28°C, with the average lows in the coldest part of the night dropping to between 17°C and 22°C. The small drop in temperature between the daytime and evening temperatures may feel exaggerated if there's a cool breeze coming in off the sea, but instead of feeling cold, it's usually a welcome change from the high temperatures of the daytime.

The hottest temperature on record in Lanzarote is 43.6°C which was registered at Lanzarote Airport on August 6^th 1980.

Summer is the driest season for Playa Blanca, when the resort sees next to no rainfall. June, July and August are the driest months, when there is often no rainfall at all. However, when rain does occur in Playa Blanca during this season, it's usually in the form of very short downpours which rarely last for more than 30 minutes each.  

With the average being ten hours of sunshine each day, you'll have plenty of chances to work on your tan during your summer holiday in Playa Blanca. May, June and July are the sunniest months, with sunshine lasting 11 hours in a day.

Whilst most holiday islands in Europe are surrounded by the warm Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands are surrounded by the cold Atlantic Sea, so the average sea temperature is always cooler in comparison. The sea temperature in the waters lining Playa Blanca begin at a cool 19°C in May and warm up to a pleasant 22°C by August. 

Autumn Weather in Playa Blanca : September - October

Autumn which can be described as the months of September and October will see the temperature begin to drop from an average of 24°C to 22°C. The average lows for this time of year rarely drop to below 20°C, but the average highs have been reported as reaching as hot as 27°C and 26°C, so autumn is still a great choice if you're looking for an escape to the sun at this time of the year. In contrast to the previous months of June, July and August which generally have 0mm of rainfall, the chances of rain will rise slightly with an average amount of rainfall at this time being between 9 and 10mm. Despite the slight increase in precipitation, Playa Blanca still enjoys a lot of sunshine during autumn. During this time, the sun shines for an average of 8 to 9 hours each day, giving you plenty of time to soak up the sun. Playa Blanca is one of those special places where temperatures do not differ by much at all and true beach-lounging weather exists year-round. The temperature of the sea is at its highest at this time of year, at around 22°C, so an autumnal swim will feel very pleasant.

Winter Weather in Playa Blanca : November - February

Winter usually classed as November to February in Playa Blanca is comparatively mild, compared to most of Europe. Average temperatures at the resort in winter are around 18°C, peaking at 20°C in November and hitting an all-time low of 17°C in January and February the resort's coldest months. In the winter season, the average highs can reach 24°C and 21°C the warmest parts of the daytime, whilst the average lows in the coldest parts of the evening range between 18°C and 15°C.

Due to the island's low humidity and the breeze which regularly blows in off the coast, the evenings can feel very chilly in Playa Blanca in winter. With this in mind, remember to pack light clothing that will keep you warm when you go out at night.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in Lanzarote is 8°C, was noted at Lanzarote Airport on January 10^th 1974.

Compared to the summer season, winter in Playa Blanca is very wet. However, when you compare winter in the resort to the rest of Europe, Playa Blanca is practically bone dry! December is the wettest month in winter, when an average of 33mm of rain falls over the course of eight days. February is the second wettest month with 20mm over five days, January and November are joint third with 16mm apiece and March is the driest month with 11mm over four wet days.

When rain falls in Playa Blanca in winter, it's usually in the form of heavy, short downpours which rarely last for more than a couple of hours. When a storm is about to occur, the sky will usually have been overcast with dark grey clouds for a couple of hours beforehand. Fortunately, these clouds clear up minutes after the rain stops and the sun shines through again.

The highest monthly rainfall ever recorded in Playa Blanca is 127.3mm came during November 2014 at Lanzarote Airport. However, the maximum rainfall ever recorded in a single day is 17.5mm, which was recorded at the same location on January 25^th 1980, whilst the maximum number of wet days the resort has ever seen in a single month is 19, which happened in January 1996.

Although, it's likely you'll have to endure the odd cloudy spell if you plan to visit Playa Blanca in the winter, it's very rare that you'll have an entirely overcast day the sun will always break through for a couple of hours a day, at least.

Since the Canary Islands are surrounded by the Atlantic Sea, the temperature of the sea is sometimes too cold for swimming during the coldest winter months. In November and December, the sea will reach temperatures of around 21°C and 20°C, which is usually regarded as pleasantly warm enough for swimming. 

Weather Hazards

A 'calima' is an abnormally hot and dusty wind, which is often sand-laden and oppressive. Calimas may occur at any time throughout the year but tend to be at their most severe when they happen in summer. When a calima occurs, it's not uncommon for temperatures to soar up to the 40s, whilst visibility seriously reduces down to less than 100m and people with respiratory conditions can struggle to breathe. A calima occurs when trade winds which normally blow across the Canary Islands in a north easterly direction blow in directly from the east, crossing over the Sahara Desert first. When the winds come in from this direction, they bring with them high temperatures from Northern Africa and a mixture of dust and sand which hangs around in the air and causes the reduced visibility.

Even though calimas are usually predicted a few days in advance, it's really tricky to know how long they'll last. Whilst most calimas only go on for three or four days, they can last as long as two weeks. The best way to keep cool during a calima is to seek shelter indoors somewhere where there is air-conditioning or head to the coast incoming breeze from the sea usually makes the stifling conditions a bit more bearable. Since Playa Blanca is on the coast, you'll be at one of the nicest places in Lanzarote if you are unlucky enough to experience a calima.

Due to the low humidity and the not-quite-scorching temperatures, it's easy to underestimate the strength of the sun. Heatstroke and sun burn are both easy to succumb to if you visit Playa Blanca in summer, so make sure you drink plenty of water and slap on the suntan lotion in order to avoid them. It's also wise to stay out of the sunshine during the hottest part of the day between 11am and 3pm.

Despite Playa Blanca being affected by rainstorms each year, the resort is totally unprepared for this kind of weather and flash flooding is a real problem. Fortunately, any flooding is usually brief as the sunshine which follows almost always dries up the rain in a few hours.