The weather in Tenerife is generally quite good throughout the year, with hot summers and fairly mild winters. Tenerife, like all the Canary Islands, enjoys a subtropical climate and little rainfall for most of the year.
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands in terms of land mass, population and number of visitors each year. It is estimated that more than 5 million tourists on average pack their bags and travel to this beautiful volcanic island every year. Perhaps the main reason for the high level of tourism is the excellent climate and weather in Tenerife. Most of the island enjoys an average temperature of around 26 degrees Celsius during the summer.
The average winter temperature is as high as 17 degrees Celsius and doesn’t tend to drop much lower. The few exceptions where the high altitude will make temperatures considerably cooler are the Anaga mountains in the northeast of the island and the Teide volcano in the center.
The summer weather in Tenerife is not usually as hot as in other islands or areas of the Spanish mainland. The temperature begins to rise in May before gradually cooling down towards the end of September. It is important to note that averages will frequently exceed 30 degrees Celsius during the warmer months. One of the main Spanish meteorological authorities recorded a maximum of 42.6 degrees Celsius at the beginning of August. The Atlantic Ocean tends to offer a cooling breeze during the hotter summer months to alleviate some of the discomfort.
Summer weather in Tenerife
June is the start of the summer season in Tenerife as the temperature rises again. June starts off relatively hot and gradually gets warmer towards the end of the month. The average daily temperature is around 26.6 degrees Celsius but, like May, there will be many days that exceed 30 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature recorded in June is 37.1 degrees Celsius in Santa Cruz. It barely rains throughout June, so you probably won’t see more than 1 day unless you’re unlucky. The sea temperature will now be a balmy 22 degrees Celsius and Tenerife will receive around 10 hours of sunshine a day.
July can feel as hot as August for long periods of the month and there is virtually no rain. The average temperature will now be around 29 degrees Celsius on most days, many more will be around 35 degrees Celsius. July has recorded a maximum temperature of a sweltering 42.9 degrees Celsius previously. This month can seem particularly uncomfortable if you are not used to high temperatures. It is advisable to make sure you have some type of air conditioning to facilitate sleep. The sea temperature will remain around 22 degrees Celsius and there will be about 10 hours of sunshine.
August is almost a mirror image of July, apart from more days that exceed 35 degrees Celsius. The average daily temperature is now around 30 degrees Celsius. Like July, it rains very little, so you will be lucky to see even 1 day of rain. The sea temperature will now approach a balmy 23 degrees Celsius. There may be slightly more hours of sunshine than in July, so it’s a good idea to make sure you have access to some fans or air conditioning.
Autumn weather in Tenerife
The weather in Tenerife during most of the autumn will be very similar to that of the summer, but there will usually be much more rain. September in particular can still feel extremely hot, especially early in the month. The temperature will gradually drop throughout September, but will still be warm enough for the entire fall.
September is technically the end of summer, but the warm temperature and weather will be around for a while yet. Although the temperature is starting to drop, it is very likely that in September there will be many days that exceed 30 degrees Celsius. The daily average temperature is now 28º C. Tenerife South airport has previously recorded a maximum temperature of 41.8º C. September will probably see more rain, but it is unlikely to be more than 3 or 4 days. Surprisingly, the sea temperature rises to an annual maximum of 24 degrees Celsius during September.
October is when the temperature starts to drop considerably and there will be more rainy days during this month. The average temperature will drop to around 25 degrees Celsius and we will probably see around 6 days of rain. In October, a maximum temperature of 38.1 degrees Celsius was recorded, so many hot days are expected. Like September, the sea temperature is still a comfortable 24 degrees Celsius, but the hours of sunshine will drop to around 7. The afternoon temperature will also start to drop as October draws to a close.
November sees a significant increase in rainfall as the temperature begins to drop. The temperature is not likely to drop much below 20 degrees Celsius, but the rainfall tends to double compared to October. November recorded a high temperature of 34 degrees Celsius previously, but you are unlikely to experience many days above 25 degrees Celsius. The sea temperature will now drop to around 22 degrees Celsius and the hours of sunshine will be around 7. The afternoon temperature will now start to feel much cooler than in previous months.
Winter weather in Tenerife
Although the temperature starts to drop as we approach winter, the weather in Tenerife is still quite good. November through March is when there is significantly more rainfall. It is interesting that most tend to prefer the winter months to take their vacations. The temperature never drops much below 17 degrees Celsius, but November, December and January are the coldest and wettest months in Tenerife.
December sees much more rain than any other month on average as the temperature continues to drop. The temperature during the day will still be quite warm, around 18 degrees Celsius, but you could see about 8 days of rain. Precipitation levels are much higher in December, so expect to see plenty of rain when it arrives. The hours of sunshine will be further reduced to 6 hours and the sea temperature will drop to 21 degrees Celsius. December is the start of winter in Tenerife, so expect to see the afternoon temperature drop accordingly.
January is probably only slightly cooler than December, but it is still considered the coldest month in Tenerife. January is a very popular month for tourism, but it still rains a lot. The average temperature most days will be around 17 degrees Celsius, but the nights will seem much cooler. You can expect 6 hours of sunshine per day in January and sea temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius.
February is very similar to January in many ways, the temperature will be more or less the same and so will be the expected rainfall. February has an average daily temperature of around 17.5 degrees Celsius and you can expect around 7 days of rain. The sea level drops to around 19 degrees Celsius, but the hours of sunshine increase to 8 hours per day as we say goodbye to winter.
Spring time in Tenerife
The weather in Tenerife in spring is generally perfect and temperatures continue to rise after the colder winter months.
In March, the temperature starts to rise again as we enter the spring months in Tenerife. The daily average temperature will rise to 18 degrees Celsius and there will be less rain around. March has a recorded high of 35.2 degrees Celsius, but most days will be in the low twenties as things heat up. March sees 8 hours of sunshine per day and the sea temperature is 19 degrees Celsius. The weather in Tenerife in March is pleasant as it is during most of the spring months.
In April, the temperature rises marginally from the previous month, but there will be significantly less rainfall. The temperature is now rising to around 20 degrees Celsius, but it can be expected to reach 25 degrees Celsius. April has recorded a maximum temperature of 35.2 degrees Celsius in Santa Cruz. The hours of sunshine in April will remain at 8 but the sea temperature will rise to 20 degrees Celsius. The nights will also warm up now in preparation for the warmer months.
In May, the temperature rises steadily again after a warm April, as spring is coming to an end. The average temperature for May is around 24 degrees Celsius, but there will be many days that exceed 30 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature recorded for May is 36.4 degrees Celsius in 2012. On average, 2-3 days of rain are recorded in May, but precipitation levels are minimal. The sea temperature for May is around 20 degrees Celsius and there will be approximately 8 hours of sunshine per day.