Málaga climate
Málaga is warmest in August, with average highs of 29 °C, and coldest in January, when nights average 9.4 °C. November is the wettest month (73 mm) and July the driest (1.4 mm). Figures are 1991–2020 climate normals.
Across a full year Málaga averages 464 mm of rain and 103 days above 25 °C.
Spain · population 592,346 · 1991–2020 normals
Temperature below 0 °C to above 30 °C Rain band height is that month’s share of the wettest month
- Warmest month August 29 °C
- Coldest month January 9.4 °C
- Driest month July 1 mm
- Wettest month November 73 mm
- Least cloud July 11 % cloud
- Hottest on record August 42 °C
- Coldest on record January 2.5 °C
- Warmest sea August 23 °C
What to expectMálaga through the year
Málaga has a clear annual cycle: average daily highs run from 15 °C in January to 29 °C in August, a swing of 14 °C in mean temperature across the year.
Counted across a normal year, 103 days a year reach 25 °C, 21 of them reach 30 °C. The warmest reading in the 1991–2020 record is 42 °C, in August.
Rain is strongly seasonal. November averages 73 mm against 1 mm in July — 51 times as much. Planning around the dry months matters more here than planning around temperature.
The sea off Málaga is warmest in August at 23 °C and coldest in February at 15 °C. Sea temperature lags the air by a month or two, which is why late summer swims warmer than early summer at the same air temperature.
Month by month
| Month | Avg high | Rainfall | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.1 °C | 58 mm | 49 % |
| February | 15.6 °C | 48 mm | 46 % |
| March | 17.4 °C | 54 mm | 48 % |
| April | 19.1 °C | 40 mm | 44 % |
| May | 22.1 °C | 25 mm | 39 % |
| June | 25.9 °C | 8 mm | 22 % |
| July | 28.7 °C | 1 mm | 11 % |
| August | 28.8 °C | 5 mm | 19 % |
| September | 25.6 °C | 25 mm | 34 % |
| October | 22.0 °C | 57 mm | 47 % |
| November | 18.1 °C | 73 mm | 48 % |
| December | 15.8 °C | 69 mm | 53 % |
Temperature month by month
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Mean | Record high | Record low | Days above 25 °C | Days above 30 °C | Days below 0 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.1 °C | 9.4 °C | 12.1 °C | 23.0 °C | 2.5 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| February | 15.6 °C | 9.7 °C | 12.6 °C | 25.4 °C | 3.4 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| March | 17.4 °C | 11.1 °C | 14.3 °C | 28.5 °C | 3.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| April | 19.1 °C | 12.7 °C | 16.1 °C | 30.6 °C | 6.9 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 22.1 °C | 15.5 °C | 19.1 °C | 32.3 °C | 8.4 °C | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 25.9 °C | 19.0 °C | 22.8 °C | 35.1 °C | 13.9 °C | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| July | 28.7 °C | 21.7 °C | 25.5 °C | 38.9 °C | 16.8 °C | 29 | 9 | 0 |
| August | 28.8 °C | 22.2 °C | 25.8 °C | 41.7 °C | 17.3 °C | 30 | 8 | 0 |
| September | 25.6 °C | 19.6 °C | 22.7 °C | 35.2 °C | 13.5 °C | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| October | 22.0 °C | 16.4 °C | 19.2 °C | 33.4 °C | 8.4 °C | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 18.1 °C | 12.7 °C | 15.3 °C | 28.8 °C | 6.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 15.8 °C | 10.7 °C | 13.1 °C | 22.1 °C | 4.0 °C | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rain, sun and wind month by month
| Month | Rainfall | Wet days | Daylight | Cloud cover | Humidity | Wind | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58 mm | 7 | 9.9 h/day | 49 % | 76 % | 15 km/h | 15.3 °C |
| February | 48 mm | 6 | 11 h/day | 46 % | 75 % | 15 km/h | 15.0 °C |
| March | 54 mm | 7 | 12 h/day | 48 % | 73 % | 15 km/h | 15.3 °C |
| April | 40 mm | 7 | 13 h/day | 44 % | 70 % | 15 km/h | 16.1 °C |
| May | 25 mm | 4 | 14 h/day | 39 % | 67 % | 14 km/h | 17.6 °C |
| June | 8 mm | 1 | 15 h/day | 22 % | 63 % | 13 km/h | 19.8 °C |
| July | 1 mm | 0 | 14 h/day | 11 % | 63 % | 12 km/h | 22.1 °C |
| August | 5 mm | 1 | 14 h/day | 19 % | 66 % | 12 km/h | 23.4 °C |
| September | 25 mm | 3 | 12 h/day | 34 % | 71 % | 12 km/h | 21.7 °C |
| October | 57 mm | 6 | 11 h/day | 47 % | 75 % | 13 km/h | 19.5 °C |
| November | 73 mm | 7 | 10 h/day | 48 % | 75 % | 14 km/h | 17.3 °C |
| December | 69 mm | 7 | 9.7 h/day | 53 % | 78 % | 14 km/h | 16.0 °C |
How Málaga compares
The same four figures for nearby destinations, so the numbers above have something to be read against. Summer high is the warmest month's average high; winter low is the coldest month's average low.
| Destination | Summer high | Winter low | Rain per year | Days above 25 °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Málaga | 29 °C | 9.4 °C | 464 mm | 103 |
| Marbella · Spain | 28 °C | 9.0 °C | 655 mm | 96 |
| Granada · Spain | 33 °C | 2.0 °C | 529 mm | 131 |
| Gibraltar · Gibraltar | 28 °C | 10 °C | 689 mm | 93 |
| Córdoba · Spain | 36 °C | 4.7 °C | 506 mm | 157 |
| Tétouan · Morocco | 29 °C | 8.7 °C | 557 mm | 106 |
| Jerez de la Frontera · Spain | 33 °C | 6.4 °C | 512 mm | 146 |
Where Málaga ranks
| Ranking | Position | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Places with the best weather in Europe in May | 1stof 50 | 98/100 |
| Places with the best weather in the world in May | 1stof 50 | 98/100 |
| Places with the best weather in Europe year-round | 3rdof 50 | 85/100 |
| Best beach destinations in Europe in August | 7thof 50 | 97/100 |
| Places with the best weather in Europe in December | 8thof 50 | 77/100 |
| Places with the best weather in Europe in January | 8thof 50 | 74/100 |
Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Málaga.
QuestionsCommon questions about Málaga’s climate
When is the best time to visit Málaga?
That depends on what you want, so the honest answer is a comparison rather than a single month. May, September, October sit closest to 20 °C on average, August is the warmest month and July the driest. The month-by-month table above has the full picture.
How hot does Málaga get?
In August, the warmest month, daily highs average 29 °C. About 21 days a year pass 30 °C. The highest value in the 1991–2020 record is 42 °C.
How cold does it get in winter?
Nights average 9.4 °C in January, the coldest month. Freezing nights are not part of a normal year here.
Which month is wettest in Málaga?
November, averaging 73 mm over 7 days with rain. The driest month is July with 1 mm. The year as a whole averages 464 mm.
Are these figures a forecast?
No. They are 1991–2020 climate normals: the average of thirty years, which describes what a month is usually like in Málaga rather than what any particular week will bring. Individual years can differ substantially from the normal.
Data sources and method
- ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis — Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), ECMWF. Copernicus Licence
- Open-Meteo — Open-Meteo.com. CC BY 4.0
- NOAA OISST v2.1 — NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory. Public domain
- GeoNames — GeoNames.org. CC BY 4.0
- Normal period
- 1991–2020
- Dataset version
- era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
- Last processed
Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: monthly rankings, daylight hours, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.
Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.