Weather in Malaga – December 2016

The average maximum temperature during December 2016 in Malaga was 17.1 Celsius (63F), and that was normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 11.3 Celsius (52F), and that was 1.1 Celsius (2F) above the normal December value.

The highest temperature recorded during the month was  19.6 Celsius (68F) on the 6th, but there was only 1 other day when the temperature exceeded 19 Celsius (66F). On the 22nd a high of 19.1 Celsius (66F) was recorded. On most days (16), maximum temperatures rose to between 17 and 19 Celsius (63-66F), with a further 9 days having maxima between 16 and 17 Celsius (61-63F). There were no cold days during December,  with only 1 day when the temperature failed to reach 15 Celsius (59F). That day was the 17th when the temperature reached 14.4 Celsius (58F).

There were several mild  nights,  during December, when temperatures were 14 Celsius (57F) or higher. In total, there were 6 of these milder nights with all of them occurring during the first 10 days of the month. Only 1 of the mild nights had a minimum temperature above 15 Celsius (59F), that was the 7th/8th when 15.4 Celsius (60F) was recorded. Although there were no cold nights, on 10 occasions the temperature fell below 10 Celsius (50F). All of these cooler nights occurred after the 14th, but only 5 of them had minima below 9 Celsius (48F), with just 2 having lows under 8 Celsius (46F). On the morning of the 23rd a temperature of 7.8 Celsius (46F) was measured, but the coolest night of the month was on the 27th when a minimum of 6.7 Celsius (44F) was noted.

The sea temperature was remarkably stable throughout the month with daily values between 15 and 16 Celsius, around 60 Fahrenheit.

There were 135.7  millimetres (5.3 ins.) of rain during December, and that was nearly 80% above average. It was the wettest December for 6 years and contrasted starkly with last year when only 0.3 millimetres (0.01 ins.) of rain was measured. There were 9 days with measurable rain and that was 3 days above the monthly average. There were showers on the first day of the month with 4.6 millimetres (0.2 ins.) recorded, and although the following day was dry, light rain on the 3rd totalled 2 millimetres (0.1 ins.). Torrential rain fell around dawn on the 4th, and much local flooding ensued as over 40 millimetres (1.6 ins.) of rain fell in an hour. Lighter rain fell at times during the day, and the total for the 4th reached 71.4 millimetres (2.8 ins.). This was the wettest December day in this part of Malaga since records began in 2005. Light showers on the 5th gave just over 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.) of rain, but then it was dry for 8 days.  Steady rain from late afternoon on the 14th produced nearly 14 millimetres (0.5 ins.) of rain with 0.5 millimetres (0.02 ins.) from early showers on the 15th. The 16th was wet overnight and showery in the evening with nearly 13 millimetres (0.5 ins.) of rain recorded. A similar pattern of rainfall occurred on the following day,  but the rain was heavy at times with almost 27 millimetres (1.05 ins.) of rain measured. Showery rain early on the 18th totalled 2.8 millimetres (0.1 ins.) and proved to be the last rain of the year.

Although thunder occurred in other parts of Andalucia in association with the heavier rain, no thunder was heard in this part of west Malaga.

The wind pattern through December was typical for an early winter month with northwesterly land breezes dominant, but with spells of east to southeasterly breezes, these often bringing large amounts of cloud and unsettled weather. Apart from during the second week, December was breezier than normal, with gusts exceeding 20 knots (23 mph) on 7 days. Generally, the strongest winds were associated with east to southeasterl;y winds occurring during the first 10 days of the month, and again during the last week of December. On the 3rd a gust of 31 knots (35 mph) occurred, but the highest gust was 35 knots (40 mph) on the 4th.

There was fog observed in west Malaga  during the morning of the 12th.

Reporting Station	Highest Temp	Lowest Temp	Rain Total (mm)	Wettest	Rain days
Malaga Airport	20.4	5.2	162	85	10
Granada Airport	20.5	-2.0	27	10	9
Almeria	20.9	8.0	151	59	8
Seville	21.6	4.6	64	19	8
Cordoba	20.9	1.6	25	7	6
Jerez de la Frontera	22.2	2.3	63	22	8
Murcia	20.5	4.4	226	76	11

Climatology for December

Reporting Station	Extreme High Temp	Extreme Low Temp	Average Rain (mm)	Extreme Wettest day (mm)	Average Rain days
Malaga Airport	24.6	-0.8	88	133	6
Granada Airport	24.5	-9.2	53	42	7
Almeria	29.2	2.0	23	59*	3
Seville	24.5	-4.8	95	81	8
Cordoba	23.5	-7.8	85	120	6
Jerez de la Frontera	26.8	-5.4	89	101	8
Murcia	25.8	-6.0	21	76*	4