Information about Tenerife weather and climate, and its landscape.

Tenerife Climate

Tenerife is known internationally as the "Island of Eternal Spring" (Isla de la Eterna Primavera). The island, being on a latitude of the Sahara Desert, enjoys a warm, all year round climate with an average of 22° - 24°C in the winter and 26° - 28°C in the summer and sunshine all year round. On Tenerife, there are no periods annually even during the winter months of cold, but neither are there periods during the summer of unbearable heat as there are in some of the Greek islands of the Mediterranean.

The moderate climate of Tenerife is controlled to a great extent by the tradewinds, whose , principally, is condensed over the north and northeast of the island, creating cloud banks that range between 600 and 1,800 meters in height. The cold sea currents of the Canary Islands, also have a cooling effect on the coasts and its beaches and the topography of the landscape plays a role in climatic differences on the island with its many valleys.

The average temperatures, however, can fluctuate between 17-18ºC and 24-25ºC in the winter season. Evidently there are climatic contrasts which do occur on the island, particularly during the winter months when it is possible to enjoy the warm sunshine on the coast and experience within just miles, 3000 metres above sea level on Teide.

There is also a contrast in climate between different parts of the island at a lower altitude, even in close proximity, notably between the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Santa Cruz generally experiences a warm climate throughout the year with temperatures noticeably greater than at the bordering La Laguna, where frequently it is colder with a greater chance of rainfall.

The north and the south of Tenerife similarly have different climatic characteristics. The windward side of the island receives 73% of all precipitation on the island, and the the relative humidity of the air is superior and the insolation inferior.

Weather averages for Tenerife
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C	22	22	24	24	25	27	28	28	28	27	26	23	25
Average low °C	20	20	22	22	23	26	27	27	26	24	22	21	23
Average high °F	72	72	75	75	77	81	82	82	82	81	79	73	77
Average low °F	68	68	72	72	73	79	81	81	79	75	72	70	73
Days with rain	5	5	5	3	1	0	0	1	1	3	5	6

The pluviometric maximums are registered on the windward side at an average altitude of between 1.000-1.200 ms, almost exclusively in the La Orotavaa mountain range. However, although climatic differences in rainfall and sunshine on the island exist, overall annual precipitation is very low with some of the summer months often not receiving any days of rainfall. In June and July in particular it is rare to receive any.

The wettest season is during the winter, but in December, for instance, an average of five days of rainfall can be expected, and even this is partly attributed to snowfall on Teide.

As an anecdote, it is interesting to note that doctors from northern Europe, mainly English and Dutch, have over the last few centuries, praised the climate of the northern Tenerife, and have even recommended patients to temporarily move there from the south to alleviate ailments and to improve circulation.

Orography and landscape

The uneven and steep orography of the island and its variety of climates has resulted in a diversity of landscapes and geographical and geological formations, from the Parque Nacional del Teide with its extensive pine forests, juxtaposed against the volcanic landscape at the summit of Teide and Malpaís de Güímar, to the Acantilados de Los Gigantes (Cliffs of the Giants) with its vertical precipices.

Semi-desert areas exist in the south with plants resistant to the dryness and Tenerife counts many natural beaches such as the one at El Médano. Other areas range from those protected and enclosed in mountains such as Montaña Roja and Montaña Pelada, the valleys and forests with a tropical and subtropical vegetation and climate, to those with deep gorges and precipices such as at Anaga and Teno.

Central heights

The principal structures in Tenerife, make the central highlands, with the Teide-Pico Viejo complex and the Las Cañadas areas as most prominent. It comprises a semi-caldera of about 130 km² (50 sq mi) in area, originated by several geological processes explained under the Origin and formation section. The area is partially occupied by the Teide-Pico Viejo strato-volcano and completed by the materials emitted in the different eruptions that took place. A known formation called Los Azulejos, composed by green-tinted rocks were created by hydrothermal processes.

South of La Caldera is Guajara Mountain, which has an elevation of 2718 meters, rising above Las Cañadas del Teide . At the bottom, is an endorheic basin flanked with very fine sedimentary material which has been deposited from its volcanic processes, and is known as Llano de Ucanca.

The peak of Teide, at 3718 meters above sea level and more than 7,000 metres above the ocean floor, is the highest point of the island, Spanish territory and in the Atlantic Ocean.

The volcano is the third largest on the planet, and its central location, substantial size, looming silhouette in the distance and its snowy landscape give it a unique personality. The original settlers considered Teide a god and Teide was a place of worship.

In 1954, the Teide and the whole area around it, although there was later a further expansion of its territory, was declared a national park. In addition, since June 2007 it is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site as a natural asset.

To the west lies the volcano Pico Viejo (Old Peak). On one side of it, is the volcano Chahorra o Narices del Teide, where the last eruption occurred in the vicinity of Mount Teide in 1798.

Cliffs/Massifs

The Anaga cliffs (Macizo de Anaga), located on the northeastern end of the island, have an irregular and unique topographical profile, rising at Cruz de Taborno with a height of 1,024 meters. Due to the age of the rock (5.7 M. a.), and the deep erosive processes that have shaped it, there are numerous roques that appear in the area and a high number of steep precipices that exists. The cliffs dominate the coastline of Anaga which is why few beaches exist, except in areas between precipices where occasionally rocks and a small area of black sand appears.

The Teno Cliffs (Macizo de Teno) are located in the far northwest. As with Anaga, this is an area of deep ravines and rock that has been heavily influenced by erosion. However, the materials here are older, being about 7.4 million years old. The Gala Mountain at 1342 meters represents its highest elevation. The Acantilados de Los Gigantes , further south have vertical walls which reach heights of up to 500 meters.

The Adeje cliffs (Macizo de Adeje) are located on the southern tip of the island, rising to prominence at Roque del Conde, with an elevation of 1001 meters. This cliff is not as significant as the others, being of a small structure, but this is because of the intense erosion and geological processes which over thousands of years has seen it lose its original appearance and size.

Dorsales

The Dorsal mountain range or Dorsal of Pedro Gil covers the area from the start at Mount La Esperanza, at a height of about 750 m (2,461 ft), to the center of the island, near the Caldera de Las Cañadas, with Izaña, as its highest point at 2,350 m (7,710 ft) (MSLP). These mountains have been created due to basaltic fisural volcanism through one of the axis that gave birth to the vulcanism of this area.

The Abeque dorsal was formed by a chain of volcanoes that join the Teno with the central insular peak of Teide-Pico Viejo starting from another of the three axis of Tenerife's geological structures. On this dorsal we find the historic volcano of Chinyero whose last eruption happened in 1909.

The South dorsal or Dorsal of Adeje is part of the last of the structural axis. The remains of this massive rock show the primordial land, also showing the alignment of small volcanic cones and rocks around this are in Tenerife's South.

Valleys

Valleys are another of the island's features. The most important are Valle de La Orotava and, both formed by the mass sliding of great quantities of material towards the sea, creating a depression of the land.

There are other valleys distributed along the geography of Tenerife, but of a different nature. They tend to be valleys in between hills formed by deposits of more quantities of geological material on the side hills, or simply wide ravines which in their evolution have become typical valleys.

Ravines

Tenerife, mainly due to its high altitude, has a large number of ravines and are one of the most characteristic elements of the landscape, caused by erosion from surface runoff throughout the islands history. Notable ravines include Ruiz, Fasnia and Güímar, Infierno, and Erques, all of which have been designated protected natural areas by Canarian institutions.

Coastline

The coasts of Tenerife are typically rugged and steep, particularly on the north of the island than in the south. However, the island has 67.14 kilometers of beaches, surpassed only in this respect by the island of Fuerteventura. On the northern coast are frequent pebble beaches with black sand, while on the south and south-west coast of the island, the beaches are typically much finer and clearer with lighter tones and quality of sand.

Information about the climate, weather and landscape in Tenerife is sourced from wikipedia.org with thanks.