About winds and weather on Canaries

The climate of the Canary Islands is tropical trade winds, moderately hot and dry.

The main factors influencing the climate of the islands:
- Proximity to Africa (the Sahara Desert), so the wind Chergui (Sirocco) periodically  comes here and brings the heat and sand. The eastern islands are the driest;
- Constant winds-passages blowing from the north-east. They bring humidity and soften the impact of Africa;
- The influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the cold Canary Current, and the presence of a constant anticyclone over the Azores softens the climate. It should be noted that the current reduces the amount of precipitation on the islands;
- The islands are mountainous, so the climate and weather are also affected by the altitude and topography. This is especially noticeable on Tenerife, Palma, Gran Canaria - the highest islands of the archipelago. Of these it is said that they are "continents in miniature": the climate is strongly influenced by the altitude. On the coast, even in winter the temperature is rarely less than 20 ° C, and at an altitude of 2000 meters you can see the snow, sometimes even in summer;
- The entire archipelago is characterized by a significant difference in climate and weather between north and south - the northern islands are greener and wetter, the southern ones are dryer.

In general, the islands are characterized by temperature distribution. Most days the weather is warm, sunny and dry. Water temperature is constant throughout the year and does not drop below 20 ° C. On the coast, the temperature rarely drops below 10 ° C and rarely rises above 25 ° C in winter. Summer temperatures rarely go below 20 ° C, but often exceed 30 ° C.

Winds of the Canary Islands

The Canaries are located in an area of constant northerly trade winds, which blow most of the year with 4-5 Beaufort from the north-east. When a cyclone passes, the wind may change to south-west. This may cause problems entering a yacht at many marinas that are oriented to waves from the other direction.

Sirocco is a dry, hot wind blowing from the east out of the Sahara Desert. The strength of the wind can reach 8-10 Beaufort. The wind often brings dust storms that fill the deck of the yacht with a layer of fine brown sand.

A typical feature of the Canary Islands is the so-called "acceleration zones". In the waters between the high western islands, the wind speed increases by a factor of 2 and sometimes 3 compared to the wind that blows in the ocean. The strongest acceleration zone extends from the south-east coast of Tenerife to Gran Canaria. Wind speeds here often exceed 40 knots. The wave is high, but short and steep.