[karenangell]

There has been a lot of talk about the weather on this forum. Was wondering about when it gets really cold in the costa del sol, We have been there six times and we always used to go for a month in december. We spend xmas and new year in mijas and along the costas. We found the weather to be really pleasant, but have never been in jan feb and march wondered if thats when it really gets cold etc

 

[xabiaxica]

There has been a lot of talk about the weather on this forum. Was wondering about when it gets really cold in the costa del sol, We have been there six times and we always used to go for a month in december. We spend xmas and new year in mijas and along the costas. We found the weather to be really pleasant, but have never been in jan feb and march wondered if thats when it really gets cold etc

it's not so much that it gets REALLY cold, because the sun still shines a lot - so for a good part of most days it's really nice


but yes, Jan & Feb are frequently the worst months - & the real issue is that unless you are in a modern property it's unlikely that you'll have any heating apart from portable heaters, and they are difficult to heat because there are usually no carpets - no amount of rugs make much difference - so it can very frequently be much colder indoors than out!!


be prepared to wear fluffy pyjamas, thick wooly socks & watch TV in the evening wrapped up in blankets or snugglies............& even gloves

we're getting mid 20ºs daytime shade temps atm (MUCH higher in the sun) - but we still have the duvets on & warm PJs - it still gets pretty chilly when the sun goes down

 

[90199]

Fluffy Pyjamas, ha ha ha

 

[jojo]

There have been a couple of winters (the two when we were there 2009, 2010!!! ) when it rained from mid december right thru til April. We were flooded in our house, there were landslides, high winds and it was very cold. I also remembering scraping ice off the car windscreen on more than one occasion. There was snow in villages nearby and Granada is known for its snow and cold winters apparently. Even on sunny days, which are nice, once the sun goes down, so does the temperature

Jo xxx

 

[lynn]

The thing is, you get acclimatized once you are actually living here. When visitors come from the UK, they don't feel the cold as much as those living here permanently. I'd also say that its a few degrees warmer down the front than up the mountain, and also, houses that don't have direct sun getting in through the windows in the winter are considerably colder (although conversely, can be cooler during the summer months).
The coldest months are Jan and Feb, and by March the longer days help with the warmth. At this time of year, I can be in a hoodie and jeans inside during the evening, but shorts and t-shirt during the day. On Saturday when it p***ed it down all day, I had my fleece dressing gown on top of my hoodie and jeans with a hot water bottle stuffed down the front! (I don't like the cold!)

 

[jojo]

At certain times of the year its actually much warmer outside than in. Many a time I'd go and sit outside just to warm up before braving the cold in the house!

The cold houses and the cold and wet winters were the biggest shock for me when I first arrived in Spain. someone told me that the weather in the winter was lovely and the cooler evenings were actually a relief from the heat - B*****!!!! Hence I moan about it a lot!!!

Jo xxx

 

[lynn]

At certain times of the year its actually much warmer outside than in. Many a time I'd go and sit outside just to warm up before braving the cold in the house!

Jo xxx

That's what I did today -

 

[jojo]

That's what I did today -

... Lynn, do you remember "that winter" when my dog died, I was trapped in my house, the ash cloud, our husbands were trying to commute and I just cried on the phone to you. You got me through that

jo xxxx

 

[lynn]

... Lynn, do you remember "that winter" when my dog died, I was trapped in my house, the ash cloud, our husbands were trying to commute and I just cried on the phone to you. You got me through that

jo xxxx

Will never forget it Jo... if you remember, my daughter was in Huelva on a school trip at the time, and I saw a news article that there had been a tornado there!

As for the commuting - I am bracing myself for more headaches as OH is back and forwards again

 

[jojo]

Will never forget it Jo... if you remember, my daughter was in Huelva on a school trip at the time, and I saw a news article that there had been a tornado there!

As for the commuting - I am bracing myself for more headaches as OH is back and forwards again

Yes I saw that on Facebook!! Good money and boredom????????

I think its that winter that I always refer to when I moan about it!! My friend who owns a stables in Cartama had to have her six horses airlifted by helcopter to safety, the river that runs thru Cartama Estacion, burst its banks and flooded the bridge that crossed it, so that no one could get thru..... Bad memories and that rain didnt stop til April did it and then when it started to brighten up...... I broke my leg lol!!!!

Jo xxx

 

[thrax]

Will never forget it Jo... if you remember, my daughter was in Huelva on a school trip at the time, and I saw a news article that there had been a tornado there!

As for the commuting - I am bracing myself for more headaches as OH is back and forwards again

There was a tornado in Oxfordshire today. To be honest (I hate that cliche and if I ever use it again please feel free to hit me round the face with a sharp stick), and we haven't lived her as long as most on here, but we quite like the cold winter bits and figuring out new ways of staying warm. The summer is blisteringly hot and we are then thankful that the house is cooler than outside. But lovely log fires, a couple of very effective gas heaters and this winter we were all wonderfully cosey during the chilly bits.

JoJo, we were here in 2010 winter and it started raining on 18 December, same as in 2009 (my outlaws live here so we heard all about that winter every day) but only lasted for 3 days. Nothing like as bad as 2009....

 

[littleredrooster]

It's probably better to stay in a nice cosy UK house during the two coldest months than tough it out in a typical Spanish country house which is a nightmare to try and keep warm due mainly to lack of insulation, though there are a few better ones around in recent years built to higher standards.

Alternatively renting a coastal apartment with a South facing terrace can be a good bet during the two coldest months.
The electric comes in with the rental price and you can always carry an extra appliance with you and keep the place as warm as toast 24/7

 

[90199]

Islas Canarias sol Y playas

 

[mrypg9]

When we moved here I was told it had never snowed and there had never been a frost....Well, for the first time in seventy years, there was a very slight frost this February.

Our house is very spacious, marble everywhere which is great for eight or nine months of the year. But from December to early March it can sometimes be warmer outside by the pool than in.

What we do is very simple: for most of the day, until around seven or eight o'clock, we are active: shopping, dog walking, cleaning, cooking, gardening. Then we heat one room, our bedroom, which is spacious and equipped with tv, comfortable chairs etc. We have a folding table and chairs which we set up for dinner so we eat in a civilised way and afterwards we go to bed around nine-thirty /ten and watch tv or read or chat.

We sometimes watch tv etc. in the salon but then we put on a sweater or wrap ourselves in a rug - just as we did back in Dorset when I was a youngster.

Having lived in Prague where it was not unusual to experience temperatures of minus 20 or below with wind chill factor added and where deep snow often lay on the ground from November to March our village seems like Saudi Arabia.

 

[Lucie123]

There has been a lot of talk about the weather on this forum. Was wondering about when it gets really cold in the costa del sol, We have been there six times and we always used to go for a month in december. We spend xmas and new year in mijas and along the costas. We found the weather to be really pleasant, but have never been in jan feb and march wondered if thats when it really gets cold etc

been in nerja at the begining feb and march both times mild and sunny although it was cold in the evenings once the sun goes down. you prob feel it even more when its been warm during the day. had to get the de icer out on sunday morning to get the ice off the car after being outside for 14hrs at work. freezing cold in may typical uk.

 

[karenangell]

Thanks for the replys. Yea i sort of know what you mean as when we were there last december we had shorts and teashirts during day and the evenings the apartment we were renting was a bit chilly we only had a small heater, but we eventually used to put our fleece pj on and we were fine. Do none of the townhouses have any fires, or can they not be installed with central heating? probably a daft question but im not sure

 

[jojo]

Thanks for the replys. Yea i sort of know what you mean as when we were there last december we had shorts and teashirts during day and the evenings the apartment we were renting was a bit chilly we only had a small heater, but we eventually used to put our fleece pj on and we were fine. Do none of the townhouses have any fires, or can they not be installed with central heating? probably a daft question but im not sure

There are a few houses with central heating, itys not common and mains gas........ I think is extremely rare, so it always involves gas cylinders or oil. Electricity is expensive, so altho there are some places with underfloor heating its used sparingly as are the air con/heater units that many houses have.

Spain really isnt geared for the cold. The spanish tend to just heat and live in one room during the winter - as they did in the UK a few decades ago

Jo xxx

 

[Seb*]

Do none of the townhouses have any fires, or can they not be installed with central heating? probably a daft question but im not sure

Especially on the costas houses have no or only very basic insulation. So even if you install central heating it can be very very expensive to heat. We have gas central heating here and rarely use it (after burning through 300 EUR gas within 2 weeks with light heating in the first year). We only heat one room during the winter. We use a fireplace to keep the temperature in the house above 12-14 ºC in the evening. As soon as the fire goes out or you switch the heaters off it gets cold again.