A mild afternoon is enough for a city break, but a beach holiday asks more of the weather. The tables below compare daytime and overnight temperatures, rain, sunshine and sea temperatures where available.
The figures come from Germany’s national weather service, DWD. Its tables use a consistent layout, but the measurement periods differ and some are several decades old. Use them for a broad idea of the climate, with the dates shown alongside each station.
Cape Verde has the warmest sea among the stations with water-temperature figures in this table. The Canaries offer a shorter flight and mild days, though many people will find the sea cool. Mediterranean destinations such as Malta and Málaga are better considered for sightseeing at this time of year. The table is not a worldwide winter-sun ranking, and missing data should not rule a destination out.
The shortlist is shorter than it looks
Several destinations have similar average daytime highs. Compare the nights, rain and sea temperatures before treating them as interchangeable.
Your priorities matter. A heated pool may be more important than the sea temperature, while a walking trip needs a different plan from a week on a sunbed.
The Atlantic table
The table gives the weather station and its altitude, plus the temperature reference period. These are station records, so they cannot describe every resort on an island.
| Station (altitude) | Mean daily max | Mean daily min | Rain | Sun per day | Sea | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praia, Santiago, Cape Verde (27 m) | 24.8 °C | 20.0 °C | 2 mm, under 1 day | 7.2 h | 23 °C | 1941–1960 |
| Sal, Cape Verde (54 m) | 24.0 °C | 18.8 °C | 5.3 mm, 0.7 days | 5.9 h | 23 °C | 1961–1990 |
| Tenerife Sur airport (64 m) | 21.5 °C | 15.7 °C | 14 mm, 0.7 days | 6.2 h | 19 °C | 1983–1995 |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife (35 m) | 20.8 °C | 15.1 °C | 36.7 mm, 5 days | 5.8 h | 19 °C | 1961–1990 |
| Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (24 m) | 20.7 °C | 15.4 °C | 16.9 mm, 3.1 days | 6.2 h | not published | 1991–2010 |
| Arrecife, Lanzarote (14 m) | 20.4 °C | 13.7 °C | 24 mm, 4 days | 6.7 h | 18 °C | 1972–2000 |
| Fuerteventura airport (22 m) | 20.2 °C | 14.1 °C | 19 mm, 3 days | 6.3 h | 18 °C | 1969–1990 |
| La Palma airport (29 m) | 20.0 °C | 15.2 °C | 58 mm, 6 days | 4.5 h | not published | 1971–2000 |
| Funchal, Madeira (58 m) | 19.1 °C | 13.1 °C | 103 mm, 8 days | 4.5 h | 18 °C | 1961–1990 |
| Santa Maria, Azores (93 m) | 16.8 °C | 12.1 °C | 100 mm, 12 days | 3.0 h | not published | 1961–1990 |
| Izaña, Tenerife (2,367 m) | 7.6 °C | 1.0 °C | 90 mm, 5 days | 7.5 h | not applicable | 1961–1990 |
Will the sea be warm enough?
Sea temperature matters if swimming is a main reason for the trip. The older DWD figures shown here range from 12°C at Málaga to 23°C at Sal and Praia. Whether the water feels comfortable depends on you, the wind and sea conditions.
A warmer afternoon does not necessarily mean warmer water. Check both columns if you are choosing between a city break with a swim and a holiday mainly spent on the beach.
The older records here give Canary Islands sea temperatures of 18–19°C in January. Some people will swim happily; others will prefer a heated pool. Ask the hotel about pool heating before paying extra for it.
The Mediterranean and North Africa
This second table includes the Mediterranean, the Algarve and North Africa. Hurghada is on the Red Sea; Marrakech is inland.
| Station (altitude) | Mean daily max | Mean daily min | Rain | Sun per day | Sea | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurghada, Egypt (16 m) | 21.5 °C | 11.0 °C | 0.4 mm | not published | not published | 1971–2000 |
| Marrakech, Morocco (470 m) | 18.4 °C | 5.9 °C | 32.2 mm, 4 days | 7.1 h | inland | 1961–1990 |
| Casablanca, Morocco (62 m) | 17.1 °C | 8.4 °C | 62.2 mm, 7 days | 6.1 h | 16 °C | 1961–1990 |
| Paphos, Cyprus (11 m) | 16.9 °C | 9.4 °C | 101 mm, 12 days | 5.5 h | 16 °C | 1947–1976 |
| Málaga, Spain (16 m) | 16.5 °C | 7.8 °C | 82.9 mm, 6.4 days | 5.5 h | 12 °C | 1961–1990 |
| Larnaca, Cyprus (2 m) | 16.3 °C | 7.3 °C | 62 mm, 8 days | 5.8 h | 17 °C | 1976–1990 |
| Faro, Algarve (7 m) | 16.1 °C | 7.7 °C | 78 mm, 8 days | 5.5 h | 15 °C | 1961–1990 |
| Djerba, Tunisia (3 m) | 15.9 °C | 8.9 °C | 28.5 mm, 4 days | 6.7 h | 16 °C | 1961–1990 |
| Luqa, Malta (91 m) | 15.2 °C | 9.2 °C | 89 mm, 11 days | 5.1 h | 15 °C | 1961–1990 |
Allow for cooler evenings. Several of these destinations have average overnight lows in single figures, even when afternoons can be pleasant. Pack accordingly and check whether outdoor hotel facilities operate in winter.
Hurghada is dry in this record, with a daytime high of 21.5°C and an overnight low of 11°C. DWD’s table does not provide its sea temperature or sunshine hours. That is a gap in this source, rather than evidence that the destination is unsuitable.
How much sunshine?
Sunshine hours add another useful comparison, but they still describe a weather station and a historical period. A difference in the table cannot predict which of two resorts will be sunnier during your week.
Izaña, high on Tenerife, has the most sunshine in this table and one of the lowest temperatures. It is included to show how much conditions can change with altitude, rather than as a warm-weather recommendation.
What to settle before paying
- Decide whether the sea is part of the holiday. If it is, the choice narrows to Cape Verde at 23 °C, or the Canaries at 18 to 19 °C with expectations managed. Check the local conditions before treating any of these as a beach holiday.
- Check the overnight minimum, not just the maximum. A 16 °C day with a 7 °C night is a different week from a 24 °C day with a 19 °C night, and the second one has usable evenings.
- Read the rain-days column before the rainfall column. Twelve rain days at Paphos or in the Azores affects a week far more than the millimetre total suggests.
- Look for another source when a column is missing. Hurghada has no published sunshine or sea figure here, and Las Palmas, La Palma and the Azores station have no sea figure.
- Note the reference period against anything you rely on. Praia’s 1941–1960 series is the oldest on this page and the least safe to plan against.
- Book the flight length you will actually tolerate. Cape Verde involves a longer flight than the Canaries, so include travelling time in your choice.
Once you have a shortlist, compare packages for your departure airport, dates and meal plan. Our Canaries or Cape Verde guide covers the practical differences; the Canary Islands guide looks more closely at where to stay.
Sources
- Cape Verde, from the Deutscher Wetterdienst Klimatafel series: Sal, Santa Maria international airport (54 m; 24.0 °C, 18.8 °C, 5.3 mm across 0.7 days, 5.9 sunshine hours, 23 °C sea, 1961–1990) and Praia, Santiago (27 m; 24.8 °C, 20.0 °C, 2 mm, 7.2 sunshine hours, 23 °C sea, 1941–1960).
- Canary Islands, same series: Tenerife Sur, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas, Gando, Arrecife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma and Izaña at 2,367 m: the January maxima, minima, rainfall, rain days and sunshine hours quoted, and the 18 to 19 °C seas where a sea row is published.
- Madeira and the Azores: Funchal (58 m; 19.1 °C, 13.1 °C, 103 mm across 8 rain days, 4.5 sunshine hours, 18 °C sea, 1961–1990) and Santa Maria, Azores (93 m; 16.8 °C, 12.1 °C, 100 mm across 12 rain days, 3.0 sunshine hours, 1961–1990).
- Mediterranean and North African stations, same series: Málaga (the 12 °C January sea), Faro, Luqa, Malta, Larnaca, Paphos, Djerba, Marrakech, Casablanca and Hurghada, including the absence of sunshine and sea rows for Hurghada.
- Each Klimatafel states its own station altitude, coordinates and the measurement period for every row separately, which is why the periods quoted in the tables above differ by station and sometimes by row within a station.
- 14 October 2026
- Edited the recommendations and explained the limits of the old climate tables. Corrected the regional heading: Hurghada is on the Red Sea. The underlying historical figures have not been newly checked.
- 20 August 2026
- January figures taken station by station from the Deutscher Wetterdienst Klimatafel series, chosen deliberately so that every destination is presented in an identical layout with identical definitions. Altitudes and reference periods recorded per station. Sea temperatures are quoted only where the source publishes a water-temperature row, and marked as not published where it does not. Fares and package prices are not quoted because they move daily by airport and operator.