Plate IX · Strait of Gibraltar, Spain · Comparison · Spain
Tarifa
Short answer
Best months for Tarifa (36.02° N · 5.62° W) in the data: February (45% of days ≥ 12 kn, mean 11.2 kn), April (34%), March (34%). Calmest: September (19%). Across the year an average of 27% of days reach 12 knots. In the best months the dominant wind is from the east. Offshore sea temperature ranges from 16.1 to 22.2 °C depending on the month.
The spot
Tarifa, in Spain, is not in Morocco: it is here as a comparison point. It sits on the Strait of Gibraltar, and Punta de Tarifa is the southernmost point of continental Europe. Its beaches, including Los Lances, Valdevaqueros and Punta Paloma, are among the most popular in Europe with windsurfers and kitesurfers.
Two winds dominate: the Levante from the east and the Poniente from the west. The data shows exactly that split. But ERA5 strongly underestimates the Levante, which is funnelled by the strait. Tarifa’s low numbers here are an artefact of the model grid, so do not use them to rank Tarifa against Moroccan spots.
Wind, month by month
ERA5 reanalysis 2015–2024, wind at 10 m, daytime 11:00–18:00 Spanish local time.
ERA5 strongly underestimates Tarifa’s Levante (east wind funnelled by the strait). Real beach winds are much stronger than these numbers suggest.
Monthly wind statistics, Tarifa
| Month | Avg wind (kn) | Days ≥ 12 kn | Days ≥ 15 kn | Directions (hours ≥ 8 kn) | Air max (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.5 | 30% | 12% | E 40 · W 39 · NW 12 | 16.0 |
| Feb | 11.2 | 45% | 24% | E 47 · W 36 · NW 11 | 16.5 |
| Mar | 10.2 | 34% | 16% | W 42 · E 37 · NW 9 | 17.8 |
| Apr | 10.4 | 34% | 17% | E 45 · W 41 · SW 6 | 19.4 |
| May | 9.5 | 26% | 10% | E 51 · W 40 · SW 5 | 22.4 |
| Jun | 9.7 | 25% | 4% | W 55 · E 40 · SE 4 | 25.1 |
| Jul | 9.0 | 19% | 4% | W 52 · E 43 · SE 5 | 28.2 |
| Aug | 8.8 | 21% | 8% | E 56 · W 40 · SE 4 | 28.5 |
| Sep | 8.9 | 19% | 5% | E 53 · W 38 · SE 5 | 26.0 |
| Oct | 9.2 | 24% | 5% | E 60 · W 28 · SW 5 | 22.9 |
| Nov | 9.0 | 24% | 8% | W 39 · E 38 · NW 13 | 19.3 |
| Dec | 9.5 | 27% | 14% | E 54 · W 29 · NW 10 | 17.3 |
Directions: share (%) of daytime hours at 8 knots or more, for the three most frequent sectors. Air max: mean of daily daytime maximum air temperature.
The sea: temperature and offshore swell
Open-Meteo Marine API, monthly means 2022–2024 at the nearest offshore model point. These are not beach wave heights.
Sea off Tarifa (36.00° N · 5.65° W)
| Month | Sea temp. (°C) | Offshore waves (m) | Period (s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17.2 | 1.3 | 8.8 |
| Feb | 16.5 | 1.3 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 16.1 | 1.5 | 9.9 |
| Apr | 17.3 | 1.2 | 8.1 |
| May | 18.4 | 0.8 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 20.3 | 0.8 | 5.9 |
| Jul | 22.0 | 0.7 | 5.5 |
| Aug | 22.2 | 0.7 | 5.9 |
| Sep | 21.3 | 0.8 | 7.0 |
| Oct | 20.3 | 1.1 | 7.6 |
| Nov | 19.0 | 1.0 | 9.2 |
| Dec | 18.2 | 1.2 | 8.9 |