The islands of eternal spring – that is how our archipelago is often referred to. A place where you can swim in the ocean no matter what time of the year it is. A subtropical island, where you are never too far from the waves, sun and summer. And, according to the scientist, also the place with the best climate in the whole world! 

That is Gran Canaria – our little subtropical paradise in which we invite you to spend your next surf adventure! So, what should you know about the weather before coming here?

Keep reading this article and learn more about:

✅ trade winds,

✅ Azores high,

✅ microclimates,

✅ calima.

☀️ A cold-free island

Muchas gracias trade winds, tides and geographical location! Thanks to you, we can enjoy cold-free weather all year long in Gran Canaria! People in Gran Canaria do not have to worry about winter clothes and winter shoes, they can simply enjoy their best lives in shorts and flip-flops no matter what month it is. But let us explain this phenomenon a little more…

? Let´s start with the trade winds, which are in this case connected to so-called Azores High or Anticyclone. We do not want to test you from your geographical knowledge, so we will simply explain what we are talking about ? Anticyclone is a mass of stable air which, in the case of Azores High, influences the whole area of the Atlantic Ocean. During the winter, this mass is located very close to our archipelago, which leads to amazing cold-free winters with temperatures up to ?️ 20°C! And what about the summer? Well, during the summer, this anticyclone is placed a little further from the Canary Islands which lets the trade winds do their work and cool the air a little. That means that even if the islands are located at the same altitude as Sahara, Miami, or Mexico, you will not melt from too high temperatures here! The average temperatures during the summer months are between ?️ 24 – 28°C. So tell us, isn´t this place simply magical?

☀️ Microclimate – the word that describes it the best!

Talking about the weather in Gran Canaria only in general is not fair… Because even though it is very stable, it is so different at the same time… You don´t believe us? Well, come surfing with us during the months of June or July, and visit Maspalomas and Las Palmas during the same day. That´s the best way how to learn about another Canarian phenomenon – microclimates. 

The island of Gran Canaria, unlike some of the other islands of the archipelago (Lanzarote or Fuerteventura, which are flatter) offers a large variety of landscapes – that is why it is often called a continent in the continent. But this results not only in natural diversity (learn more about the island’s nature) but also in climate diversity. The mountains in the center of the island divide Gran Canaria into two large areas which locals simply call North and South. And both of them offer a great number of different microclimates – one of the main characters of our little paradise.

What happens here is that ⛰️ the mountains in the center of the island stop all of the clouds that may come from the northern parts of the Earth, not letting them affect the weather in the south of Gran Canaria. In the northern part of the island, however, this may cause a little cloudy weather, especially during the summer months, known as Panza de burro or belly of the donkey. But if you wake up to a cloudy morning, please do not panic! The clouds will magically disappear in midday and you can enjoy sunny surfing for the rest of the day! 

Do you know what we really love about these microclimates? That in one day, you can enjoy ☀️ tropical temperatures in the south of the island, ?️ cool and refreshing moments in the north, and the most beautiful ? sunset above the clouds in the mountains. Where else could you experience all of this only in one day? 

☀️ Calima – just another weather sensation…

A layer of dust that comes from the Sahara ? and covers the island, makes the temperature rise (sometimes up to ?️ 40°C), turns the sky from blue to yellow, and makes it a little hard to see and breathe – that is calima. Another phenomenon affecting the weather of your surf destination! Something you have never seen and experienced before…

As the Canary Islands are located very close to Africa (around 110km), the archipelago is the first destination affected by the dust from Sahara, which then continues to many further areas like the Caribbean, Central, or South America. These dust storms usually last for 2 – 3 days, and after that, the sky gets amazingly clean again. So, if this happens during your surf holiday, do not stress, drink a lot of water, and enjoy your siesta inside as it is not recommended to spend midday on the sun! ✌️