Weather Overview for La Manga Del Mar Menor
La Manga lies within the Murcia region of Spain, in the country’s south east. La Manga del Mar Menor factually means “the sleeve of the little sea,” a name that comes from the towns location in the area of Mar Menor (‘little sea’)which is a small inlet that is separated almost entirely from the Mediterranean Sea by a strip of land that is about 13 miles long. The strip causes of land causes the 160 square kilometer ‘little sea,’ a very beautiful natural attraction, and it is on this strip that you will find La Manga.
When you are in La Manga it is a very beautiful sight to look away from the Med and look inwards toward the‘main land’ and set your eyes across the inlet which looks as though it is a small lake. At the deepest point in the Mar Menor you will find it is no deeper than 8 metres- which helps to keep the water temperature warm all year round, with an average yearly temperature of 17 ºC.
La Manga hosts a Mediterranean, semi arid climate which has been known to see temperature extremes across the seasons. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Spainin the 20th century occurred in the Murcia region that La Manga lies within; when on July 4th 1994 residents and visitors sweltered through a debilitating 48ºC day - definitely not a day for sun baking! However on the flip side, while winters in the area are generally pretty mild- winter 2005 so an unusually cold winter with snow even being recorded along the coastal regions.
Throughout a typical year, the summers are generally long and hot and the winters are short and mild. Rain is pretty much absent throughout the entirety of summer and the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn have a tendency to be the wettest months of the year. Across the whole year the town only records, on average, 300 to 350 mm of precipitation, with pretty much all of this falls outside of summer. When it does rain, it often pours- with short but heavy downpours. The down pours and temperatures take a turn for the worst when the ‘Gota Fria’, a Spanish weather phenomenon comes through the region bringing with it a sudden drop in the mercury and heavy frequent downpours which have been known to cause flooding in the past.
Across the year the weather is generally pleasant, with an average annual temperature of 18 ºC. Summers can get particularly hot- days over 40 ºC are not uncommon. However the winds that blow of the Med come as a relief and cause temperatures to drop a few ºC in the evenings. The average high in July and August, the warmest months, is 24 ºC, though the sea temperatures sit close to 20 ºC so provides for a very welcoming environment to cool off in from the day’s heat. In addition to this, La Manga and its surrounding area has more than 40km of blue flag awarded beaches- which means you’ve got plenty of choice when it comes to clean and award winning beaches.
Winters are short, however they come on quite quickly. October still sees average daily highs of 24 ºC, though by November the average high has dropped to 18 ºC and December to February bring daily highs of 15ºC and lows can reach a chilly 4 ºC, with nighttimes getting especially cold-so be sure to pack a light jumper if you’re planning on enjoying some sangria on the promenades at nighttime.
Average temperatures for La Manga del Mar Menor
To find out what the weather is like today todays (and a 15 day forecast) please click this link;
http://www.accuweather.com/en/es/cabo-de-palos/1465601/weather-forecast/1465601
