The last 3 days have shown the variable nature of April weather on the Costa del Sol The sea plays a large part in determining the weather along the Costa del Sol throughout the year. In April, the relatively low sea temperatures can make the variability in day to day weather even more marked. This April (2005) has been no exception. On Thursday (21st) the brisk northwesterly wind off the mountains produced a foehn effect with daytime temperatures in Malaga soaring to 30 Celsius (86F), the warmest day of the year so far. It was just as warm on the beaches as sea breezes lasted for no more than a few minutes during the late afternoon. Temperatures were still in the low 20s Celsius (low 70s F) at midnight, and this heralded another warm day to come.
On Friday (22nd) temperatures rose to 29 Celsius (84F) before a weak sea breeze in the afternoon reduced values to a pleasant 22 or 23 Celsius (72-73F). The low relative humidity, with values at times below 20%, meant that the high temperatures did not feel uncomfortable, but for those working outside a regular swig of water was essential.
Another warm night followed as the land breeze kicked in again with temperatures rising for a time late on Friday evening. However, after a sunny start, Saturday (23rd) turned into a very different day. A breeze off the sea developed around mid morning and fog rapidly enveloped the shoreline. Temperatures plunged to 15 Celsius (59F), or lower, and any thoughts of a day on the beach quickly evaporated as the mist thickened.
During the late afternoon the fog dispersed, and by evening the land breeze had returned. This produced the unusual statistic of a mininum temperature for the day at midday (15 Celsius, 59F), and a maximum temperature of 22 Celsius (72F) at 10 o'clock in the evening.
