The weather in Andalucia during February quickly moves into Spring mode, with Malaga and the Costa Del Sol first to see the new shoots of the new season.
The sunshine in Malaga feels much warmer during February, despite the still relatively low angle of the sun.
Nevertheless, a pullover or fleece should remain at hand as a chill wind, or passing clouds, will soon turn a pleasantly warm afternoon much cooler.
Temperature levels during February are really not too different from those of January, although towards the end of the month, on average, a noticeable rise occurs.
Those sunny days of late February can be a much-needed boost for northern Europeans, and even the smiles of the Andalucians broaden as the last vestiges of winter are thrown away.
The sun never shines all the while, of course
There are rainy spells, and as in January, active Atlantic weather fronts can bring several hours of rain to the Costa Del Sol.
These fronts are not very common in most years with high pressure sitting over the Spanish meseta and keeping the weather systems at bay.
Low pressure in the western Mediterranean, or across north Africa, is usually the catalyst needed for the heaviest rain of the month, but in many years these heavier rains fail tp materialize.
While the land starts to heat up , the sea continues to cool, generally reaching it’s lowest temperature in early March.
Typical temperatures off the coast of Malaga during February are around 15 Celsius (59F), Cool, but no cooler than an August sea temperature off the Norwegian coast, the coast of west Scotland , or a June sea temperature on the Breton coast.
As this contrast of temperatures between land and sea become more apparent as the month progresses, then the conditions become more ideal for sea breezes to develop.
Picture a late February morning.
The sun is shining, the temperature rises rapidly from a dawn minimum of about 7 Celsius (45F). The wind is quite a brisk northwesterly along the coasts and by 11 am tourists are venturing towards the beach as the temperature hits 18 Celsius (64F).
Then the wind wobbles.
By early afternoon a steady southeasterly breeze has developed; it stays sunny, but inland a ragged band of cloud has formed, and beyond that, through the haze, a few individual half-hearted shower clouds can be seen, especially over the sierras.
The air temperature on the coast falls close to that of the sea, with that temperature maintained through much of the evening before the land breeze, with lower humidity and a regular fall of temperature, returns overnight.
Thus, the weather in February.
Plenty of sunshine, still the hint of winter chill, especially early in the month, but with the transition to Spring well under way by the end of the month.