Climate
The Canary Islands are situated between the 28º and 29º parallels north of the Equator and very close to the Tropic of Cancer. They should be warmer, but the cooling influence of the trade winds gives them great benefit by providing moisture and uniformity to the temperature.
Due to the latitudinal location and the proximity of the anticyclone of the Azores, the Canary Islands are affected almost all year by the Trade Winds.
The highest point of Lanzarote is 672 meters. As it is the lowest Canary Island it is one of the driest.
The average temperature is 21º C. The highest temperatures occur from July to October (22-32°C) and the lowest in December and February (18-20°C). In a few kilometers range there can be large variations in temperature. It is advisable to always take a jacket.
In Lanzarote large temperature variations between day and night are recorded. Coastal low temperatures can drop up to 10ºC and inland temperatures can drop 20ºC.
Rainfall varies from year to year from 140mm to 300mm. It can rain from mid-October through April, 30-60 days. Often the rain lasts only a few minutes.
There are other non prevailing but locally regular winds. These are:
- Saharan winds: blowing from the African Continent, with warm air and dust in suspension.
- Maritime Polar winds: from the North Atlantic storms. Their effect are felt in winter at high altitudes (over 1500 m) and can cause it to snow (Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma).
- Southerly winds: coming from the tropics sometimes cause heavy rains, especially in the higher slopes.
- Irregular masses of air: these sometimes appear, forming irregular fronts. It is the only time the islands with lower altitude can benefit from the rain.
The climate of the Canary Islands would be different if, instead of islands, they were a region within a continent. The sea, in this case, influences the climate. The sea around the islands is particularly influenced by the derivation of the Gulf Stream of Mexico, called the Canary Cold Stream. This acts as an atmosphere regulator or cooler, especially in coastal areas.