Official Costa del Sol weather station registers hottest December day on record in Spain with almost 30C

The Costa del Sol has officially recorded the warmest December day on record in Spain after the mercury climbed to 29.4C at Malaga Airport this Tuesday, 12 December.

The record high easily surpasses the previous warmest day on record on the Costa del Sol in December, which was 24.6C registered at the Costa del Sol airport's official weather station on the same date (12 December) in 1998.

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"This has beaten the previous record by a long way, and this is unusual," said Aemet's local director Jesus Riesco. The cause is a combination of warm "terral" wind - which in autumn and winter is usually cooler - with a mass of warm air. "There has been a situation since last Saturday due to an anticyclonic ridge, with an air mass that has been warming over the Spanish mainland. The ridge has begun to retreat today towards the sea and on its way the "terral" has caused this air to be warmer," he added.

José Luis Escudero, the meteorology expert from SUR's Tormentas y Rayos (Storms and Lightning) blog, said: "The maximum temperature record at the airport has been smashed today; with one degree it would already be more than surpassed, but we are close to 30 degrees". "It's as if we were right now in early June or mid-September," he added. Today's spring-like day means Malaga province is closer towards registering its warmest year since 1961.

Radical drop tomorrow

But there will be a dramatic drop in temperatures on Wednesday as a front with a mass of much cooler air arrives to Malaga province. Riesco said to expect around a seven-degree drop in temperatures.

In Malaga city and the Costa del Sol the maximum will be around 20 degrees. Rain is forecast but only in inland areas. Rain is also not on the cards on the coast for the coming week, however weather experts say it will be cooler than usual across Andalucía, and also drier.