Is Alicante Warmer Than Malaga?

When choosing our destination it is important to know what weather to expect. Alicante and Malaga are 293mi (472km) away from each other. Which one is warmer?

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1. Is Alicante Warmer than Malaga in Summer?
2. Rainfall Days in Summer
3. Is The Sea Warmer in Alicante than in Malaga in Summer?
4. Is Alicante Warmer than Malaga in Winter?
5. Rainfall Days in Winter
6. Is The Sea Warmer in Alicante than in Malaga in Winter?

Malaga is 293mi (472km) south of Alicante. In general, the south of the Mediterranean coast is hotter than the north. Malaga can be hotter than Alicante and Alicante is, in general, warmer than, for example, Barcelona. Other differences between Alicante and Malaga are in this article. But is this difference in temperatures huge?

Is Alicante Warmer than Malaga in Summer?

In general, Malaga is a bit hotter than Alicante in summer, although the averages are almost the same. The high average temperature in August is 30.8°C (87.4°F) in Alicante, and 30.8°C (87.4°F) in Malaga. The low average temperature in August is 21.2°C (70.2°F) in Alicante and 21.1°C (70.0°F) in Malaga. How come Malaga is hotter?

The answer is the extremes. Hot days are hotter in Malaga than in Alicante. While in Alicante it is strange to get a temperature higher than 34°C (93.2°F), in Malaga it is normal to get temperatures up to 36°C (96.8°F).

The hot season is a bit milder and longer in Alicante than in Malaga with an average of 3 months in Alicante and 2.9 months in Malaga. In both places, summers are hot and dry.

Rainfall Days in Summer

Alicante averages 3.5 days of rain in June, July and August. Malaga has an average of 1.4 days of rain in the same months (AEMET data for Alicante and for Malaga). Both places are dry in the hot season.

Is The Sea Warmer in Alicante than in Malaga in Summer?

In Alicante, the sea temperature is warmer in summer. The warmest month is August, averaging 26.2°C (79.2°F) in Alicante versus 23.4°C (74.1°F) in Malaga (NOAA satellite data from seatemperature.org). In general, the warmer the water the better for swimming in the sea so Alicante might be a better beach destination.

The temperature of the sea is higher in Alicante than in Malaga from May to November, all the hot season.

Is Alicante Warmer than Malaga in Winter?

On average, Malaga is slightly warmer than Alicante in winter. January is the coldest month in both cities, with an average temperature of 11.7°C (53.1°F) in Alicante versus 12.1°C (53.8°F) in Malaga.

During the day, the two cities are almost the same: the average maximum temperature in January is 17°C (62.6°F) in Alicante and 16.8°C (62.2°F) in Malaga.

During the night, Alicante is a bit colder than Malaga. The average low temperature in January is 6.3°C (43.3°F) in Alicante and 7.4°C (45.3°F) in Malaga, as the sea is warmer in Malaga in winter.

As you can see, both places have a mild winter and the differences are small: Alicante’s afternoons are as warm as Malaga’s, but its nights are a bit colder.

Rainfall Days in Winter

December, January and February are dry in Alicante and a bit wet in Malaga.

The average number of rainy days from December to February is 10.4 in Alicante and 17.2 in Malaga. It never snows in either of the two cities.

In general, Alicante is the best option to escape from the rain in winter as your chances of finding wet days are lower. Nevertheless, the two cities are quite dry.

Is The Sea Warmer in Alicante than in Malaga in Winter?

The sea temperature in winter is higher in Malaga than in Alicante. In February, Alicante averages 14.2°C (57.6°F) and Malaga 15.6°C (60.1°F).

As shown by the data, Alicante is a bit less extreme than Malaga in the summer. Alicantinian hot days are usually less suffocating than hot days in Malaga. In winter, the afternoons are just as warm in both cities, but Malaga’s nights are milder and it rains on more days.

Have you visited either of the two cities? What city do you think has better weather? Leave your thoughts in the comments!