Tenerife is the largest and most popular Canary Island which comes as no surprise since it's blessed with guaranteed sunshine almost all year round. Thanks to its location just off the west coast of Africa, temperatures rarely drop below the toasty twenties and we're talking about the winter months too!
Temperature in Tenerife in DecemberTenerife is a popular place for sun seekers in December with average maximum temperatures a pleasant 22.2 °C (70 °F) combined with about six hours of sunshine.
There are mosquitoes on Tenerife but not a lot.You will find them more in some areas than others, and importantly, they only appear at cer-tain times of the year. Tenerife fans often visit the island at the same time each year. If that happens to be at time when there aren't mossies, then they will never see one.
Calima, also known as haze, describes the effect of sand or dust when it is suspended in the atmosphere. Given the Canary Islands' proximity to northwestern Africa (Fuerteventura is only 100km from the Moroccan coastline), the Atlantic archipelago experiences by far the most common episodes of calima across Spain.
From November through December, January February and March it can be cool and wet so pack a lightweight raincoat and travel umbrella. And the winter months can be cold in the evenings, so take a jacket or sweater to put round you.
Although the weather is normally good in Tenerife in Sepember, I would say the weather in Turkey is hotter. Length of flight times are around the same, although depending who you fly with you may get a better time of flight with one or the other.
Although it's winter there's still loads of sun in December, and you can expect ten hours of daylight with six hours of sunshine each day. UV levels will be moderate so you'll still need to use plenty of sun cream. Sunset's around 6.15pm at this time.
Gran Canaria and Lanzarote are the hottest of the islands in December. There's only a very small chance of rain, and temperatures can reach as high as 26ºC, even over Christmas.
The rest of the island has its own charm, mainly in its quaint villages, like Masca and Icod, and in Teide National Park, home of Spain's highest mountain. Thanks to its atypical weather, December is one of the best times of the year to visit Tenerife.
During February you can expect 11 hours of daylight each day with 7 hours of sunshine. Be wary of the UV index which is at a high level despite it still technically being winter; sunset's just before 7pm at the beginning of February, gradually getting later as the month goes on.
The average high temperature during February is 20ºC, giving plenty of chance to work on your winter tan. So if you're planning holidays to Tenerife at this time, warmer clothes for the evenings as well as your beach gear are essential, as temperatures cool to 12ºC.
What to be wary of in Tenerife? Because of its volcanic background, most beaches in Tenerife are volcanic with black sand which can be hot under the feet. If you're after a traditional sandy beach head to Los Cristianos and leave the southern resorts alone. Playa la Arena is also notorious for pickpockets.
Most of Tenerife drinking tap water comes from desalinated sea water and doesn't have a good taste, it's fine for bathing or washing clothes, etc. For drinking, tea, coffee or ice always use bottled water. Some people experience upset tummies and other digestive problems that possibly are caused by the tap water.