The (in)famous Terral wind
If you’ve been in Malaga during the summer, the chances are that you’ve experienced the dreaded Terral.
Temperatures shoot up and the dry heat makes it feel like you’re in an oven. But what is it exactly?
Many think, given Malaga’s proximity to Africa, that this is a phenomenon that comes from the Sahara. However, that’s not true.
In fact, the Terral is a wind that comes from the north-west and heats up significantly on its journey south until arriving at the coast. On the western Costa del Sol, this can be broken up by the mountains near Ronda. In Malaga, however, it surges through the Guadalhorce valley and temperatures go through the roof – often in excess of 40 degrees Celsius.
Luckily, though, this is only temporary and on average it lasts for around 2 or 3 days. However, it can (and does) strike more than once throughout the year, especially in the summer months.
For tips and tricks on how to survive the Terral, click here.
Daryl moved to Malaga permanently in 2014 having first fallen in love with the city on his Erasmus year. After working for many years at local expat newspaper SUR in English, Daryl gained expert knowledge in life from the perspective of foreign residents and decided to co-found Malaga Guru in 2016.