Climate and temperatures in Mallorca

Mallorca´s climate is typically Mediterranean, with warm average temperatures and seasonal rains, the summer period being both hot and dry. The annual rainfall varies across the island, from 350mm in the south to 1,500mm in the high areas on the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. However, most of the island receives between 450mm and 650mm of precipitation over the year. 40% of the annual total falls in autumn, between September and November; 25% falls in spring, between March and May; 25% falls in winter, from December to February; and summer, from June to August, sees just 10% of the yearly rain. The island´s rainfall is characterised by its irregularity, varying radically from one year to the next, even reaching the point where there are drought conditions. Most of the rain that falls is concentrated within a few days of precipitation, with some very heavy rains in autumn and lighter rains over the rest of the year. Excluding the high mountain areas, the average annual temperature is between 16ºC (61º F) and 18ºC (64ºF), with a maximum summer average of 29 to 31ºC (84 to 88ºF) and a minimum average winter night-time temperature of 5 to 9ºC (41 to 32ºF), although temperatures of over 35ºC (95ºF) and below -2ºC (28ºF) are recorded almost every year, and temperatures occasionally reach 41ºC (106ºF)in summer and fall to -6ºC (21ºF) in winter.

Mallorca´s physical geography is shaped by the sea, which is deep, calm and relatively warm, with surface temperatures that reach 26ºC (79ºF) in August and stay above 14ºC (57ºF) in winter. Mallorca is the only place in the world where the temperature at the sea bed never drops below 13ºC (55ºF). The sea regulates the island´s climate and means that seasonal temperature variations aren´t as marked as they are on continental land masses at the same latitude. Travelling between 300 and 400 km to the north or south, we find the European mainland, which cools dramatically in winter, and the warm Sahara Desert respectively, a fact which influences the unique features of Mallorca´s climate.

Mallorca´s sea breeze is known as the Embat; this wind is formed locally and is a result of the daily heating of the land in contrast to the regular sea temperature. The air that heats above land tends to rise and thus the cooler sea air is drawn towards the island. This means that the daily temperatures in summer are not particularly harsh on the coast, providing that offshore winds that blow against the Embat are not in effect.