The weather is cooler than North Africa due to the northeasterly trade winds and the temperate Canary Current. This is cool water that swells up from deep in the Atlantic Ocean and affects the sea temperature and weather in Tenerife.
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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.
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!
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.
Snow in the Canary Islands is not uncommon. The peak of the Teide stratovolcano (3,715m), located on Island of Tenerife, is often covered with a snow cap after heavy snowfall in winter.
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.
The graph below shows the range of monthly Santa Cruz de Tenerife water temperature derived from many years of historical sea surface temperature data. The warmest water temperature is in September with an average around 74.7°F / 23.7°C. The coldest month is March with an average water temperature of 66.6°F / 19.2°C.
The Coriolis Effect in combination with high pressure causes trade winds to move from east to west, providing a cool breeze in the northeast of the island. Consequently, north Tenerife is more humid with heavier rainfall, while the south stays hot and sunny most of the time.
It also rains very rarely and not too much. However, there is a big disadvantage of the weather in Tenerife, known as ”CALIMA”. It's the hot wind from Sahara which brings dust and sand, and it can happen anytime. This is the main reason why you'll not be able to see as far as usually.
Areas to AvoidBecause 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.
Wear sunscreenUsing a high factor sun cream is essential for protecting your skin from the sun, with SPF30 the recommended factor. Don't forget to wear sunscreen when you are outside even on overcast days as the sun's UV rays can penetrate through clouds.
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.