Tenerife weather all over the island

Tenerife weather at the South airport is usually experienced first. Rainy days are rare there. 

Lets proceed with February 2016 which please take as an example as Tenerife Island weather.

A week of a belated but most welcome winter

For ever changing skies in Tenerife North in the Orotava Valley were a sight to behold. Right now, it's November 12, 2019 and the sky by my balcony looked exactly like on the photo above on the right, a short while ago. Hence, it was lovely and sunny despite clouds. However,  the skies can look totally different in another direction over the Atlantic or by the mountains. Anyway suddenly, a big cloud settled over my place Toscal Longuera and it started to drizzle. No more sun, which can change again within an hour, provided a wind blows up the precipitation to the mountains. 

Why Webcams can often not be trusted

Notice in this context that you can't fully rely on fog, rain or sun shown by a webcam. Tenerife weather forecasts are also to be taken with a big pinch of salt.  It always depends in which direction the Webcam camera directs to portray sunshine or dark clouds. I looked up a Teresitas Webcam today where the beach looked rather gray. It was sunny, five minutes later.  I took a chance to risk a very bad day in Taganana on November 13 of 2019 when a webcam showed so much fog for it, you wouldn't have seen your own hand in front of you. My following i-phone-photos are proof of the contrary. By the way I took others at Los Auchones Hacienda with my Android Phone, a few minutes later. There the sight is just as clear. Click the pictures to enlarge them...

I was absolutely right that  I should get enough sun there in the morning for reasonable photo shoots. Why in the morning?

The importance of the right Tenerife weather for quality wine

Taganana's wine is so good because it gets morning sun above all. The important conclusion to my experience is that you can only trust weather forecasts for a Macaronesian Island to an extent. So pack your raincoat and umbrella but also your sunhat and take a chance. By the way, there was a drizzle for about 10 minutes just before 2p.m. Some rain had been forecast.

Exceptional heavenly Tenerife weather moments

The wonderful, magic weather moments pictured above relate to the entire Orotava Valley in Tenerife North.

Wild and wonderful weather by Puerto de la Cruz

The weather ended with a sunbathed Sunday on February 21 in 2016 in regard to the last pictures above.

Before that there were sporadic torrential rains everywhere with much snow in the Teide National Park that had to be closed to traffic. Occasional, but rather mild thunder occurred. Hail caused havoc on the TF5 by San Cristóbal de la Laguna. Even Los Cristianos had  hail around that time which is rare.

A brilliant white Mount Teide was finally framed by blue skies on Sunday February 21.

Summer in Tenerife

Lately, it's often hard to recognize a so called gray Donkey Belly that's obscuring the sun in Summer. It may only be a Calima dust cloud from the nearby Sahara of West Africa.
Such sky color of Tenerife weather doesn't mean a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius which was measured on August 08, 2017 in Oxfordshire in the UK. A gray sky will still give us a minimum of 26 degrees in Tenerife during the height of summer.  So no complaints...

Nevertheless, there is nothing more beautiful than the clouds in the North of the Island. They embalm the soul. 

Weather clouds Puerto Cruz and shadows by Mount Teide

The North airport Tenerife weather issue

Weather forecasts for that area must never be taken for granted for the rest of North Tenerife.

View Larger Map

Do yourself a favor, enlarge and study the geographic location of Los Rodeos on this map... The airport is extremely exposed to wind and weather.  You will understand,  then.  This is one reason why the world's most tragic aviation disaster happened there, before airport safety was improved.

This part of Tenerife is not a typical area with holiday resorts, although I have encounteres most enchanting clear views in this region right up to Gran Canaria, as shown by a photo of Tenerife towns.

That too explains much.

Compare this moment's weather at Los Rodeos the North airport

here

  and that of Puerto de la Cruz

here.

Mind the South of the island is usually two degrees warmer.

Mountain weather and Tenerife Teide

A car accident where a car was lifted by snow storm like shown in the Russian town Riga of the Ukraine wouldn't happen in Tenerife towns.

However, a snow storm with bad Tenerife weather by Mount Teide may leave your car blocked by a falling tree, just as well.

Needless to say, the Teide cable car will be working after storm and snow danger are over.

Weather precautions Tenerife National Park

You could find yourself stranded in the Cañadas because of strong winds. Therefor, they were off limits for about a week in February 2016. Then the Refugio backpacker hostel just below the last 800 meters below the Teide peak was snowed in. Minus 15 degrees Celsius may be expected when there is no sun.

However, the Mount Teide weather in its Highlands called Cañadas is usually superb. Above all in Spring, as shown above, provided there was Winter rain. Why is the metheorological situation different up there by Teide? This is because the clouds brought in by the Alisian Tradewinds from the Atlantic don't climb higher than 1200m -1400m at the utmost.

Clouds, normally cling like fog on mountain slopes, as shown on this typical Tenerife fog picture.

Photo was taken late afternoon by Agua Mansa near the Caldera which is ideal to watch this Tenerife weather phenomena. Agua Mansa is not more than half an hour's drive from La Orotava at about 1400 meters altitude to my best recollection.

Oldest resort off-line temperature indicator

There is a temperature indicator on a high pole by the Puerto de la Cruz Titsa bus station. Whenever I am there during the day the temperature displayed is always around 24 degrees Celcius. Indeed, it feels so pleasantly warm there, whenever I look at it, although it might be less.

Weather Santa Cruz with Playa Las Teresitas

Observe the short distance between La Laguna Los Rodeos and Santa Cruz the island's capital.

The latter faces East and partly to Africa but its weather is generally like that of the South. Even the winds which may be strongest on this big Santa Cruz de Tenerife beach.

Adjoining San Andres has to endure some of the most inundating waves of the island.

That's Playa de las Teresitas with the ancient Anaga mountain Massif.   The occasional  strong winds remind the dry Southern regions of El Medano here. But without the surf, which is prevented by long jetties.  

Artificial air cooling and or at least fans are said to be priorities in the capital during the peak of summer.

The mini continent Tenerife

Look at the geographical conditions of the proper South of the island with Playa de las Las Americas, Los Cristianos, Adeje and windy El Medano.

Now, you'll understand why it's dry and about 2 Degrees Celsius warmer than the North in general. However,  the North and South regions are only two  of many reasons that remind a mini continent.

Gale force and other tropical winds of Tenerife weather

There is the saying that the strongest winds occur by El Medano in the very South of Tenerife, where surfing is at its best. However, the La Orotava Valley with Puerto de la Cruz and Los Realejos was visited by a whirlwind gale of 120km/hour for the 2nd time in 2010 within five years. Only Mount Teide was hit at 160km/hour during the February Cylone of Tenerife in 2010.

However, the deadliest Tenerife storm as well as disaster of all recorded  times in the Canary Islands took place from November 6 of 1826 onward. It was the Hurricane Bethencourt Gonzalez also called El Aluvion. It hit the Orotava Valley in particular. Of course, roads have been improved since then, most houses are built better and weather forecasts are there to warn.

Conclusion

Mankind shouldn't forget that meteorological conditions and nature are interlinked. Therefore, nature shouldn't be abused. Global warming is an issue everywhere despite the up and down weather cycles. A friend just told me that many birds in Berlin of 2019 are not emigrating for winter to the South any more because of Global warming in her region. 

The biggest Canary Island Tenerife is so varied by its many mountains, ridges, gorges and valleys. The North is exposed to moist trade wind, contrary to the south. Meantime, the location, height, form and extension of mountains and its 'Corona' (belt) of forests nearby play a big role. But, the general rule for temperate all year round good weather and climate in its favored holiday locations is absolutely correct.

By the way, the warmest weather on the whole island is in August, everywhere.

Needless to say is that we want cooler conditions for a vacation for walking on the biggest Canary Island  than for beach holidays.
This is why Tenerife is ideal, as it caters for both.

The sun on the biggest Canary Island and its weather patterns

Tenerife weather El Bravo

Please, return from Tenerife weather to climate in Tenerife where information on humidity and rainfall is included.

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