Været i Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) i juli

Regulars put a number on the calima here: the odds of one are about ten times higher from mid-July to mid-August than in mid-June or mid-September. What arrives varies - sometimes only warmer air and a haze of fine sand, sometimes a day that goes dark, blows like a gale and sandblasts the beach. The island's other division matters as much. The north is five to ten degrees cooler and far wetter, green because of it, with morning cloud forming as moisture rises off the hillsides; the south is drier and sunnier. Our southern-weighted row reads 28.5C over 20.8C with 0.5mm of rain, a 23.1 kph wind and a 24.3C sea. The record: humidity 66 percent, 12.7 hours of sun and AQI 35.

Regulars are specific that the south of the island can run up to 10 degrees warmer and noticeably more reliably sunny than this city in the north, a real factor for anyone choosing where to base a Gran Canaria trip this month. Our row backs that mild, still-cloudier-than-the-south read, 21C over 15.4C nights, with rain light at 15.9mm across 4 days and humidity at 72 percent. Regulars are consistent this city itself still delivers genuinely lovely days often enough, with museums, shops and culture as the real draw here versus the south's guaranteed beach sunshine. The sea sits at a comfortably swimmable 20.7C on the warmer days. The record: 9.6 hours of sun, an 18.6 kph wind and AQI 52.

Regulars describe the sea here as genuinely cool on first entry this month even though plenty of people are already swimming, with the cold fading fast enough that most visitors adjust within a few minutes rather than staying out. Our row backs the warming sea at 23.2C, alongside real heat on land, 24.9C reading as a real 27C, over 19.3C nights, with rain almost entirely absent, 3.3mm across under a day. Regulars are candid that heat is a given no matter which part of the island a visitor stays on, with one trip in the same window hitting the mid-30s on several days - the breeze this coast usually carries is called a welcome relief on a sunny day rather than a chill to guard against. The record: humidity 77 percent, 12.6 hours of sun, a 20.9 kph wind and AQI 37.

Las Palmas-forum threads on October temperatures call it genuinely one of the best months on the island, days easily reaching the mid-20s Celsius in the shade with plenty of sun. One expert-level regular flatly calls October the best month for weather here, ahead even of the peak winter season. Rain is light and infrequent, and when a shower shows up it typically arrives overnight rather than disrupting daytime plans, heavy downpours genuinely rare. Evenings stay warm enough to sit outside comfortably, though a light layer is worth having later on. The sea holds a comfortable temperature for swimming through the whole month, no cold-water surprise the way some Atlantic destinations deliver this time of year. Regulars are consistent this is the sweet spot between summer's peak heat and winter's cooler, choppier stretch. The record: 25.9C days feeling like 27C, 20.1C nights, just 22mm across 4.2 days, a 24.6C sea, 77 percent humidity and 10.4 hours of sun.

March in Las Palmas is normally sunny at 22 to 25C depending where on the island you stand - our row gives 21.2C for the city - warm enough to sunbathe by day with cool evenings. Regulars describe the Canaries' entire wet allowance as about six days of torrential rain a year, falling between late October and early April, and March as the point where the unpredictable winter half is ending. The wildcard is the calima, Saharan dust that crosses with very high temperatures and is a real problem for anyone with breathing difficulties. Our row is otherwise unremarkable: 20.5mm across 4.6 days. The record: 15.6C nights, humidity 75 percent, 11.1 hours of sun and a 20.1C sea.