Thursday, 16 January 2014 00:00

Christmas Sun: Gran Canaria Weather in December

December Weather in Gran Canaria: Christmas sunshine is standard December Weather in Gran Canaria: Christmas sunshine is standard www.photosgrancanaria.com

December is often a sunny month in Gran Canaria although we do get a few days of rain almost every year.

While Europe is battered by cold, wet weather in December, the Azores anticyclone tends to sit to the north of the Canary Islands and prevents the bad weather from reaching the Canaries.

During December 2015, one of the warmest and sunniest on record, two anticyclones blocked out the bad weather and the sky was blue and sunny almost every day. The only break in the sunshine was a few days of calima dust that blew over from North Africa. However, while winter calimas make the sky white, they don't bring the extreme temperatures of summer dust events. 

December summer

There is something strange about spending Christmas in the sunshine. The brain expects cold and snow, but you have to head up the very top of Gran Canaria for a chance of traditional Christmas weather in Gran Canaria.

The average temperature during the day during December is 22ºC and the average low is 16ºC. However, most days the mercury rises over 25ºC at sea level and it’s warm enough on sunny days to spend hours on the beach or by the pool. You’ll need a jumper or a light fleece at night if you plan to eat outdoors, but the standard December uniform is still shorts and a t-shirt.

It rains for an average of four days per month in Gran Canaria during December. If you come for a week you will get sunny days unless you are very unlucky and coincide with a big storm. Even during the odd bad week, it is still warmer in Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands in December than anywhere else in Europe.

If you want to get away from the cold during December then come to Gran Canaria. Eat a mince pie on the beach and send your photos back home and you’ll hear the groans from across the ocean.

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Tip of the day

  • Tip Of The Day: Avoid Bank Card Charges By Paying In Euros
    Tip Of The Day: Avoid Bank Card Charges By Paying In Euros

    Save money and avoid rip-off bank charges while in Gran Canaria by paying in euros when using your credit or debit card.

    Many bars and restaurants in Gran Canaria, and in almost all European holiday destinations, give you the option of paying in euros or in your home currency. Opting for your own currency, while it may seem like the safer option, can add as much as 5% to the bill as it triggers dynamic currency conversion. 

    DCC basically means that the exchange rate is calculated at point of sale rather than by your bank. It allows you to see the total cost of the transaction in your own currency but adds up to 5% to the total because it uses a terrible exchange rate. 

    Since the extra money is shared between your bank and the merchant, some places will automatically bill you in your own currency and hope you don't notice. You have the legal right to refuse and void the transaction should this happen. 

    ATMs too

    The same applies when taking money out of ATM machines in Gran Canaria (and anywhere in Europe); Always choose the local currency option to avoid losing money to poor exchange rates.

    If you opt for the local currency option, using bank ATMs is often the cheapest and safest way of getting euros in Gran Canaria. It's far safer than having a big pile of euros hidden in your room or tucked into your shorts.

    More details in this Daily Telegraph article.

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