In some years the weather is mellow with abundant sunshine, light winds and temperatures regularly reaching the mid 20s Celsius (mid to high 70s F).
Other years, and it becomes very unsettled as cool air from northern Europe crosses the still very warm sea.
The result is air that becomes very unstable to sea temperatures with towering cumulonimbus clouds producing some spectacular thunderstorms.
Rainfall totals of 25 to 50 millimetres (1-2 inches) may occur in a short period of time and local flooding is usually a problem in these situations.
The general increase of instability occasionally allows thunderstorms to develop over land during the day, especially over the Sierra Nevada and also over the smaller Sierras further west.
A typical changeable day in Malaga would begin with hazy sunshine and patchy high cloud with temperatures rising steadily after a muggy night with a low temperature of 18 Celsius (64F).
By late morning, there is a light breeze blowing, probably from the south, but it remains hazy. I
Increasingly cloudy skies from late morning onwards herald the onset of showers, but no apparent structure to the clouds suggest thunderstorms are on their way.
Around 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon the first distant rumbles of thunder are heard coming from the direction of the Sierra de Mijas, and shortly after the torrential rain, thunder and lightning begin.
These type of storms usually develop ahead of active cold fronts as they move east over Iberia.
After the storms there may be a couple of hours of steady rain before a clearance spreads in during the evening.
It then feels noticeably fresher, and when you leave the restaurants or bars as midnight appoaches, you will need a sweater or light jacket.
Overnight, a the wind speed will increase markedly from a northwesterly direction, and with the much lower relative humidity, the post dawn temperature of 14 Celsius (57F) will feel cold.
Even through the following day, the Andalucians will be wrapped up as if for winter, while the torists remain clad in singlet vests and unmatching shorts.
The weather during the day will be sunny, just the odd puff of high-based cumulus cloud, but two very distict changes in the weather have occurred. The wind stays fresh or strong northwesterly throughout the day with not a hint of a sea breeze, and the visibility is crystal clear with the individual fincas on the distant foothills plain to see.
Despite afternoon temperatures of 22 or 23 Celsius (72-73F) there are few people on the beach and even fewer in the dark blue and uninviting sea. Autumn has truly arrived.
Although the dramatic weather is emphasised, there are many years where October just gently descends into Autumn with the sea and land staying warm. Very occasionally fog may disrupt air travel overnight or at first in the mornings, but it seldom lasts for more than hour or two, and is most likely to occur after one of those rainfall events mentioned earlier.
The weather may not be totally reliable during October, but with most of the tourists long gone, the real charms of Andalucia can be enjoyed away from the madding crowds.