Wild Weather In Lanzarote
Know The Best Time To Travel

The weather in Lanzarote is quite nice throughout the whole year since it's located within the subtropical zone. Most of the time, the weather in Lanzarote is under the influence of moderate north easterly winds (known as the trade winds). Temperatures don't rise much above 32°C in the summer except when hot air coming from the Sahara desert blows small plumes of high altitude dust over Lanzarote. During this time, the hot, dry easterly winds can increase day time temperatures to near 40°C.

Topics covered on this page

• Dust storms in Lanzarote
• What months are likely to have some rainy weather in Lanzarote?
• Why does Lanzarote have limited vegetation?
• Lanzarote has no natural water supply, so where does it get its water from?
• When will there be sunny weather in Lanzarote?
• What's the weather like in Summer?
• What's the weather like in Autumn?
• What's the weather like in Winter?
• Spring weather information

Dust storms in Lanzarote

It is important to know that both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are frequently hit hard by dust storms during late winter/early spring (February and March) each year. Sometimes the dust is so thick that the sun is completely obscured and the visibility drops to less than 200 metres. Obviously during this time you won't enjoy being outside, so in order to make sure that your holiday isn't ruined by this dust event, then you should try to travel outside these two months. The frequency of these dust storms is controlled in a large extent by the weather patterns over North Africa. If the Saharan desert misses out on its limited rainy season, then you can expect higher amounts of dust to influence the weather in Lanzarote. Conversely, you can be sure that if the Saharan desert receives abundant rainfall, then it's highly likely that less dust will be transported over to the Canary Islands.

If you are still considering travelling to Lanzarote during February and March, just be aware that there may be airport delays due to the length of time this dust stays suspended in the air. Normally there will be between 2 to 7 dust storms every year throughout these two months and each dust storm tends to last from 2 to 22 days.

Weaker dust storms affect Lanzarote from October to December each year. Thankfully these dust events don't last as long. You may get between 2 to 4 weaker dust storms during these months. They normally hang around for two or so days and for that reason, they won't ruin your holiday. However, please be aware that this dust can increase respiratory problems if you do have a pre-existing respiratory illness.

During summer (June, July and August), the dust blown in from the Saharan desert is transported above Lanzarote's highest mountains and never descends to sea-level. On such days, the sky will look hazy, almost white. The day time temperatures on such days will be around 33-40°C. Although, temperatures above 38°C are quite rare in Lanzarote. Normally the day time temperature only goes above 38°C once every five years or so.

It's a known scientific fact that the Canary Islands have one of the highest incidence of asthma out of any location in Spain. This is due to the high amount of dust present in the atmosphere combined with the elevated levels of ozone. Furthermore, house dust mites are commonly found in quite high numbers throughout the Canary Islands since the humid conditions provides a suitable environment for breeding. These microscopic creatures can play havoc with your health if they're inhaled. Of course, you may find that the warmer weather in Lanzarote reduces the severity of your asthma.

What months are likely to have some rainy weather in Lanzarote?

The only time you'll see any significant rain is during late autumn to early spring (November-March). This rain doesn't normally last long since the dust tends to catch the raindrops as they fall. Occasionally you'll get some rain without dust. This occurs more so when the cloud structure has come in from the south west or west. You can also expect that the weather in Lanzarote will not be the same across the whole island. There's normally a little bit more rain on the northern side of Lanzorote as well as at higher elevations since moisture bearing clouds are forced to rise the 670 metre mountain and this is enough to trigger precipitation over the barren northern coastline.

Although, this small mountain does very little to trap the clouds unlike the higher mountains found in other Canary Islands. This is the main reason why Lanzarote receives much less rainfall than the mountainous islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.

If you’re planning to go island hopping, then here is a useful tip: a number of meteorological studies have shown that if it's raining on both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, then there's about a 80% chance that it's also raining on the other Canary Islands. However, if it's raining on the western Canary Islands, there's only about a 30% chance that it's raining on both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

You're highly unlikely to get hurricanes in this part of the world since atmospheric conditions aren't suitable for their formation. Although a tropical storm hit the area back on the 29th November 2005 causing minor wind damage and flash flooding in Lanzarote.

In contrast to the more western Canary Islands, it will be very apparent to you by just a visual inspection of the surrounding countryside that the weather in Lanzarote is very dry. You can expect that there will be no more than 30 millimetres (mm) of rain in each month during November to March. Although, occasionally you may get a sudden deluge of heavy rain from a severe thunderstorm that produces in excess of 30mm. This normally occurs after a thick dust cloud has passed through Lanzarote.

Why does Lanzarote have limited vegetation?

There's very little vegetation on Lanzarote due to the fact that the early settlers to Lanzarote cleared most of the native trees and shrubs so the land could be used for stock-breeding (goats and sheep) and other agricultural practices. Furthermore, about 90% of the rain that reaches the soil surface doesn't infiltrate the soil. That means only 10% of the rain is fed into the groundwater system. Over the years, the increase tourism has placed a large demand on Lanzarote's groundwater supplies and this has caused this water supply to become depleted. As a consequence, much of the native vegetation couldn't tap into the water supply and so many of these plants withered due to the consistently dry weather in Lanzarote.

Lanzarote has no natural water supply, so where does it get its water from?

In 1964, the people of Lanzarote decided to improvise by setting up desalination plants so as to ease the water demands due to the sudden influx of tourists in the mid 1960s. Given that the weather in Lanzarote suffers from frequent droughts, it made sense to set up this method of obtaining clean water. This desalination technology practically covers every aspect of fresh water use in Lanzarote today, which is why tourism development in Lanzarote has been so successful. Without such water technologies, Lanzarote wouldn't be the tourist attraction it is today.

When will there be sunny weather in Lanzarote?

You can almost guarantee that from April through to October, there'll be hardly a day without sun. Yes, there will be the odd cloud floating past but none of them will be capable of producing significant rain. This is because each cloud evaporates when it grows too tall since the warm, dry layer of air located at approximately 1.5 - 2 kilometres (km) above sea-level chops the top off the clouds. Another reason is that there's a cold body of water (known as the Canaries Current) flowing past Lanzarote which cools the air near it and so this hinders the formation of rain bearing clouds over this region.

It's quite common to have cloudy weather in Lanzarote during in the morning. You needn't worry since most of this cloud will disappear by 10am.

Please note: the temperatures provided on this page are taken from locations at sea level. Remember the temperature decreases with altitude.

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What's the weather like in Summer?

You can expect that most of the summer will be quite windy since the north easterly trade winds amplify the afternoon sea breeze. These winds pass over the cooler Canaries current and help lower the day time maximum temperatures over the coastal and northern parts of the island. The temperature throughout the whole of summer shouldn't vary much since the weather in Lanzarote is sub tropical. You will notice that the southern part of the island is hotter and drier since it's sheltered from cooling trade winds. Almost everyday in summer will be sunny with moderate humidity levels although the mornings can be quite cloudy. It's extremely rare for there to be any rain throughout the whole of summer.

June

You can expect very pleasant temperatures by night as well as by day. Overnight, you can expect a minimum temperature of about 18°C and by day, a maximum temperature of around 26-27°c. There may be some morning cloud but this will disappear by 10-11am. However, some northern parts of Lanzarote will stay cloudy throughout the whole day while the central and southern parts of Lanzarote will be sunny the whole time. You can expect light to moderate winds which will occur everyday in the afternoons. This is a great time to visit since the weather in Lanzarote is not too hot and you can be quite sure there'll be no rain.

July

July is a little hotter than June, although if you happen to be located out in the wind then it won't feel too hot. July is known has the windiest month of the year. If you're planning to visit in July you can expect a minimum temperature early in the morning of around 20°C before a maximum temperature of 28°C is reached in the mid-afternoon. Rain at this time of year is nearly non-existent. The mornings may start out cloudy throughout the whole island but will clear pretty quickly.

August

August is the month with the hottest weather in Lanzarote. You can expect a warm overnight minimum temperature of around 20-21°C, and by day, a maximum temperature of 29-30°C. This is the time of the year when hot plumes of air move into the area from the Sarahan desert. These hot, dry winds will make you feel quite uncomfortable since such days can be 10°C hotter than the average day time temperature. Lanzarote will look like a dry, brown, desolate landscape at this time of year since drought conditions prevail.

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What's the weather like in Autumn?

Autumn is the transition season. You can expect the weather in Lanzarote will be very warm throughout September and gradually cooling off into October and November. The mid to later half of autumn is an excellent time to visit Lanzarote. Nearly all of the days will be sunny with blue skies prevailing. There may be a short, sharp shower in the afternoon from late October into November but other than that you shouldn't experience any rain.

September

The first two weeks of September has very similar temperatures to August. You can expect the overnight temperatures to drop to about 20°C overnight before rising to a maximum day time temperature of 29°C. You should not see any rain until the later half of September if you get any rain at all. In fact, September normally has only two millimetres (mm)of rain on average.

October

October is the beginning of the weaker dust storm season. These dust storms will only make the sky look hazy and won't in anyway impede your holiday activities. These dust storms move in from the Saharan desert and are sometimes followed by gentle shower activity in the afternoon. You can expect overnight temperatures to be about 18°C before rising to a maximum day time temperature of 27°C. You should definitely think of travelling to Lanzarote in October since your holiday won't be ruined by the weather. The dust storms shouldn't be bothersome at this time of year.

November

The rain following the dust clouds may be a little heavier in November but it won't prevent from you pursuing any outdoor activities on the island. The temperature and humidity levels will be lower than it was in summer and for that reason you'll be able to safely perform some strenuous outdoor activities.

However, if a weak dust storm dust does occur, you should be aware that there'll be a marked rise in temperature and a substantial reduction in humidity levels.

You can expect that the weather in Lanzarote during November will be cloudy on some days and sunny on others. On average, the minimum overnight temperatures will drop to about 18°C before rising to a maximum day time temperature of only 24°C. However, during a dust event, the day time maximum will near 29°C. By the end of November you shouldn't see any more weak dust storms.

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What's the weather like in Winter?

The weather in Lanzarote in the winter is not the same across the whole island and does vary from year to year. In most years, you can expect that during the winter you'll likely experience some overcast conditions with periods of rain associated with the arrival of cooler air masses that have come in from the more northern latitudes. In between these cooler air masses, the days should remain fairly sunny on the southern coastal areas but you'll experience persistent cloud cover over the inland and mountainous regions on Lanzarote.

Both December and January are the wettest months, but rainfall totals remain quite low even throughout this period, in comparison to the wetter western Canary Islands. The dust storm season can sometimes start in January, like it did in 1999, but normally you won't be troubled by the dust until mid-February.

December

The only time you'll see rain in December is when a cold front brushes past Lanzarote or if there's a deep Atlantic low pressure system near the island. If the later atmospheric disturbance if forecast in the area, then you can expect quite a few days of persistent rain. If your whole plan of visiting Lanzarote is to sunbathe then yes you should be able to do that as well since the cloud cover frequently breaks up in the afternoon on days without rain.

This time of the year will be cool with overnight temperatures of about 16°C before it rises to a maximum day time temperature of 22°C. Of course, there will be days when the temperature may only reach 18°C if it's raining all day. At other times the temperature may go as high as 26°C if the wind blows in from a easterly direction.

January

The weather in Lanzarote in January is very similar to December. You should definitely pack some warmer clothing with you if you're planning to travel to Lanzarote in January. Overnight temperatures normally drop to about 14°C. The temperatures can go as low as 10°C in the sheltered regions in the mountains. The day time maximum temperatures normally reach 21°C but it may rise to 25°C suddenly if the wind switches direction to an south easterly.

There should be some rain about throughout the early to middle part of January but this will start to decrease by the end of January. There should be some sunny days, especially on the southern coastal areas of Lanzarote.

February

The weather in Lanzarote during February is very difficult to predict since dust storms normally make their presence felt throughout this month. There are some years when you'll enjoy a dust storm free holiday but in other years, you can expect dust clouds to invade most of Lanzarote from mid-February onwards. There will be some shower activity due to the passage of a passing Atlantic low pressure system or a cold front but other than that there won't be much rain.

February is the coldest time of the year. You can expect a cool overnight temperature of about 13°C before the temperature warms up to a comfortable 21°C by day. This is the time of year when frequent incursions of much warmer, drier air masses find their way to the Canary Islands from North Africa. Usually these warmer days are accompanied by large amounts of dust. The dust is eventually replaced again by cooler air masses from the North Atlantic.

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Spring weather information

The early part of spring (March) can be quite horrible at times during a dust storm. However, by April and May, the weather in Lanzarote is a little more predictable. From mid to late spring, the cloudy weather of winter is long gone in the coastal areas of Lanzarote. However, over the inland parts of Lanzarote, afternoon cloud forms in response to the warmer surface temperatures. You should expect nice warm days in April and May with very little rain to worry about. There should be some windy days (especially by mid-May) associated with the return of the afternoon sea breeze.

March

The temperatures overnight in March is still quite cool so you'll still need to rug up at night if you're planning to enjoy a night out. During the first two weeks of March, overnight temperatures may get down to 14°C but by the end of the month,the minimum temperatures will be about 16°C. During the day, the early part of March will see maximum temperatures hovering about 22°C but by the end of the month, it will be reaching 24°C. If you plan to travel in March you are certainly at risk of experiencing some unpleasant dust storms. March normally receives about 15mm of rain on average for the month. Most of this rain occurs in conjunction with a dust storm.

April

The dust storm weather in Lanzarote will have finished by April and with this you'll see the return of blue sunny skies and warm temperatures throughout the day and night. Overnight temperatures will be about 16-17°C and the day time maximum will be a comfortable 24-25°C. You should see very little rain throughout your stay in Lanzarote in April. If it rains at all, it should fall in the first two weeks of April.

May

The weather in Lanzarote is very similar to April, although the temperatures are a little warmer during both the day and night. Overnight temperatures are a comfortable 17°C along the coast and up to 2°C cooler over the inland parts of Lanzarote. You should see day time maximum temperatures averaging 25°C in the coastal areas and 27°C over the inland parts. Later in the month, you should get at least one day when the day time temperatures will reach 28-29°C. Many days on the coast will start out cloudy but these clouds will clear by about mid-day.

You'll see plenty of sun this month and so you'll be able to soak up the sun rays at the beach throughout most of May. It's very unlikely you'll get rain but if it occurs, the most likely location where it'll occur is over the inland parts of Lanzarote. The coastal areas of Lanzarote should miss out on the afternoon shower activity.

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