Weather Phenomena in Nerja - A Guide to the Winds, Dust, Fog and Sudden Shifts

Saharan Calima

From time to time, a veil of Saharan dust reaches Nerja, softening the sky into pale golds and muted tones. This is calima, carried by winds from North Africa. The air becomes warmer, the horizon looks hazy and a fine layer of dust settles on terraces and cars. Most calima episodes are gentle and pass quickly, but occasionally they arrive with astonishing force. In March 2022, the calima was so overwhelming that it felt almost like watching an apocalypse arrive. The sky turned deep orange in the middle of the day, the light changed completely, and the famous white villages of Andalucía became rusty red within hours. Houses, balconies, cars, streets and even church towers were coated in thick desert dust. But the rain added that it stuck almost like paint. People started washing it away, only for another wave to return a couple of days later. It took weeks for towns and villages to clean everything, and even today you can still find faint traces of that extraordinary event in corners, rooftops and sheltered walls. When such a calima finally lifts, the sky often returns with almost startling clarity.

Tropical Nights

During mid and late summer, temperatures sometimes remain above normal degrees even after midnight, creating what locals call tropical nights. These evenings feel long and unhurried, perfect for strolling the Balcón de Europa, chatting on terraces or enjoying late dinners outdoors. They usually follow hot days or warm winds and give Nerja its unmistakable Mediterranean summer rhythm. However, it has become more frequent with tropical nights and a few can feel unbearable when the degrees do not go below 30c.

Sudden Rain Showers

Although Nerja is known for its dry climate, rain occasionally arrives quickly and with surprising strength. Short autumn and spring showers can sweep in from the mountains or sea, and sometimes with a rumble of thunder echoing through the valleys and the sea. The lighting soon becomes like a firework show. Rain storms and big thunders have caused flooding in town before and damage. But often, because the Sierra Almijara rises so steeply behind the town, clouds often form inland while the coast remains bright. After a shower, the air feels washed clean and the landscape often glows with deeper colour.

Morning Sea Fog – The Taró

On warm mornings, especially in early summer, a soft sea fog known as taró drifts along the coastline. It forms when the warm air meets the cool sea, creating a delicate mist that moves slowly over the water and slips into the coves. Watching it from the Balcón de Europa is almost magical as the fog rolls gently across the sea, hiding and revealing the rocks below. From the beach it looks like a soft white blanket lifting and falling over the waves, turning the morning into something calm, cinematic and a little mysterious before it melts into bright blue skies. Sometimes around this area it can last until afternoon.

The Sudden Hot Breeze

Every so often, usually in late spring or summer, Nerja experiences a sudden blast of hot air that can raise the temperature by five to ten degrees within minutes. This happens when a pocket of warm, dry air descends rapidly from the mountains and mixes with the coastal breeze. The change is instant: the air turns hot, the horizon shimmers and for a brief moment it feels as if someone has opened an oven door into the town. These bursts pass quickly, leaving behind a warm stillness before the sea breeze returns and settles the temperature again.

UFO Clouds over the Mountains

Another fascinating sight in Nerja is the appearance of lenticular clouds, which often form above the Sierra Almijara. These smooth, perfectly curved clouds stack themselves in layers that look almost sculpted, giving them the appearance of floating discs or UFOs hovering above the peaks. As air travels along the surface of the Earth, obstructions are often encountered, including natural features, such as mountains or hills, which disrupt the flow of air into "eddies", or areas of turbulence. When moist, stable air flows over a larger eddy, such as those caused by mountains, a series of large-scale standing wave form on the leeward. side of the mountain. If the temperature at the crest of the wave drops below the dew point moisture in the air may condense to form lenticular clouds. Under certain conditions, long strings of lenticular clouds may form near the crest of each successive wave, creating a formation known as a wave clouds. On clear days they look surreal against the blue sky, and at sunset they glow in soft pinks and oranges. When they appear, people stop to take photos because they truly look like something from another world.