Copyright euroweeklynews
If you are planning an autumn escape, Alicante and the Costa Blanca are still shining. Day after day, the skies remain clear and the sun is strong enough to keep beaches lively well into the season. Cafés and terraces are bustling, the golden light makes the coastline picture-perfect, and the sea remains remarkably warm. With the Mediterranean holding steady at around 27ºC – three degrees above normal – swimmers are still enjoying conditions more typical of July than the end of September. For many travellers, this makes autumn one of the best times to visit: fewer crowds, but all the sunshine. The hottest summer on record This endless summer comes with a record-breaking backdrop. According to Spain’s national weather agency Aemet, the Valencia region experienced its hottest summer in history. The average temperature reached 25.5ºC – 2.2ºC above the seasonal norm – with heat lingering especially at night. Alicante set a new record for “tropical nights”, when the thermometer never drops below 20ºC, notching up 102 of them. It was a season that felt relentless, both for residents and for visitors. What autumn could bring Traditionally, autumn is the wettest season in the Valencia region, when sudden storms can develop. Meteorologists warn that the overheated Mediterranean adds potential for torrential downpours, but that other factors – such as the arrival of cold air at high altitude – must also align. Crucially, these storms are highly unpredictable: experts say they cannot be pinpointed until just a few days before, and sometimes only a day in advance. Still a paradise for visitors Even so, the overall rainfall trend is shifting. Precipitation is becoming less evenly spread, arriving instead in concentrated bursts. This year, Alicante received virtually no rainfall during summer – less than five litres per square metre – while Castellón saw far more. Across the Valencia region, summer rainfall was 7% below average, with most of it falling in just two isolated episodes. Sunshine with a watchful eye on the skies For now, visitors to Alicante will find a destination that still feels like summer, even as the calendar turns to autumn. The weather is ideal for beach days, alfresco dining and exploring the coastline in warm, golden light. Locals are still swimming daily, and tourists are delighted to discover Mediterranean conditions rarely seen in October elsewhere in Europe. Meteorologists may be keeping a cautious eye on the horizon, but for travellers the message is clear: Alicante remains one of Europe’s brightest, warmest and most welcoming autumn escapes.
