The El Cotillo weather is much easier to forecast than in the UK. However, it is amazing how many times the meteorologists can still be wrong. Perhaps one day they will admit that you cannot predict the unpredictable.
For those that believe such things here is an up to date forecast for the El Cotillo weather in the next few days.
The Fuerteventura weather, and the weather in El Cotillo in particular, means the climate is one of the best in the world. It is rarely very hot in summer as temperatures of 40°C+, like it often is in southern Spain, are rare here.
It is never cold in winter with the lowest night-time temperature most years of 11ºC. Local Fuerteventurans would disagree with that though as they often wear more clothes than I did in a British winter.
Surfer’s Beach Webcam
How much more up to date information on the El Cotillo weather can you get than this webcam housed in the Seahorse bar? This webcam shows the Surfer’s Beach (Piedra Playa)
Why is the climate so great?
There are a number of reasons why the island has such a lovely climate. The islands are in the north easterly trade winds, used by the sailing ships of old to cross the Atlantic. They are also located within the Canary Current which have a similar pattern to the Trade winds.
These two factors help to keep Fuerteventura cooler in summer. Obviously another influence in keeping the islands warmer in the winter is the latitude which puts the islands only 80 miles west of the Sahara desert.
El Cotillo Temperatures
August generally has the hottest temperature in El Cotillo with an average temperature of 25°C (77°F). The coldest month on average is January with temperatures of 18°C (64°F) with the most daily sunshine hours at 10 in July.
Fuerteventura has over 3000 hours of sunshine per year making it the perfect holiday destination all year and an even better place to live.
| Temperatures | Average Daily Max (°C) | Average Daily Min (°C) | Average Monthly Temp (°C) |
| January | 23.2 | 10.9 | 17.5 |
| February | 24.7 | 11.2 | 17.9 |
| March | 27.0 | 11.8 | 18.6 |
| April | 27.4 | 12.8 | 19.3 |
| May | 28.5 | 14.3 | 20.6 |
| June | 29.4 | 17.0 | 22.2 |
| July | 32.5 | 18.6 | 23.9 |
| August | 32.6 | 19.4 | 24.3 |
| September | 30.5 | 18.0 | 23.8 |
| October | 29.4 | 16.1 | 22.4 |
| November | 28.9 | 13.3 | 20.5 |
| December | 24.6 | 12.0 | 18.5 |
Fuerteventura Winds
The prevailing wind, as the Canary Islands are at the start of the Trade Winds, is north easterly.
It can be windy at times which helps to keep it cooler in summer. Even when it is a bit windy there are plenty of windbreaks built from rock on the El Cotillo beaches.
A few times a year it does come from the east or south-east which normally brings a Calima. This wind brings with it not only heat from the Sahara Desert but also dust, as can be seen in the satellite photo below.
Rain in Fuerteventura
El Cotillo does receive some rain, usually between October and March. This causes the landscape in the north to become greener than normal. About 8 years ago there was no rain for 18 months though.
| RAINFALL | Monthly Average (mm) | Average No. Days with rain |
| January | 14.2 | 5.6 |
| February | 8.4 | 3.2 |
| March | 15.1 | 4.3 |
| April | 5.8 | 2.5 |
| May | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| June | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| July | 0 | 0 |
| August | 0 | 0 |
| September | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| October | 11.0 | 2.6 |
| November | 7.7 | 2.7 |
| December | 39.4 | 7.1 |
When we do get rain it is often a downpour. As very little soaks in it forms river-lets which flow across the Campo (countryside) and end up in the sea.
Sea Temperature in El Cotillo
The Canary Current is relatively cold. This means that water temperatures are slightly cooler than might otherwise be expected at this latitude.
It is always warmer than it is even in summer in the sea around the UK and Germany.
| SEA TEMPERATURE | Monthly Average (°C) |
| January | 19 |
| February | 18 |
| March | 19 |
| April | 20 |
| May | 20 |
| June | 21 |
| July | 22 |
| August | 22 |
| September | 23 |
| October | 23 |
| November | 21 |
| December | 20 |
I have been holidaying in Fuerteventura for over 30 years and first came to El Cotillo 17 years ago. I owned an apartment in El Cotillo for 10 years and now live with my wife, Sue, and dog, Jenson, just 5 miles away. El Cotillo is my favourite place in Fuerteventura.
