Costa del Sol Weather in November

Mild, and pleasantly so whenever the sun is out. A typical November afternoon on the western Costa del Sol reaches about 19°C, enough for lunch outside in shirtsleeves on a still, clear day, and the nights drop to around 13°C, so a jumper comes out once the light goes. Sun and shade start to feel like different seasons this month: a sheltered terrace at two o'clock can pass for late spring, while the same street in shadow at six feels autumnal. The first week often keeps some of October's warmth; by the last week the mornings are fresher and the afternoons noticeably shorter.

November is also one of the two wettest months of the year, behind only December. An average November brings about 120 mm, yet it falls on only about 7 days with at least 1 mm. Do the sum and you get a lot of rain on each wet day and plenty of dry ones in between: the total usually arrives in a few heavy spells rather than as daily drizzle, and the days after a front are often the clearest of the month. Over the year this western end of the coast is wetter than Málaga, with about 740 mm at Gibraltar against 510 mm at Málaga, so a week-long stay will often include one properly wet day.

Sunshine averages about 5 hours a day, and the evenings hold on far longer than at home. On 1 November the sun sets at 18:24 in Sabinillas against 16:34 in London, and on the 30th at 18:06 against 15:55 (local clocks, Spain being an hour ahead). Across the month Sabinillas goes from 10.7 to 9.9 hours of daylight, while London slides from 9.7 to 8.2.

Yes, if you go in briskly. The satellite record for the water off Sabinillas (NASA JPL MUR, 2003–2025) puts the November average at 17.5°C, and the sea loses heat all month, so a swim on the 2nd and a swim on the 28th are different propositions. Year to year it varies more than in any other month from October to April: 2019 averaged only 15.2°C, while 2024 averaged 19.2°C, close to a normal October's 19.6°C.

Regular sea swimmers, and anyone raised on British beaches, will find early November fine for a proper swim on a calm, sunny day. Most families settle for paddling and the odd quick dip, and if you feel the cold, go in around midday when the sun is on the water and get out before you start to think about it. One summer rule no longer applies: the water here is not fresher than off Málaga. That gap only holds from June to October, and in November the satellite record has the sea off Sabinillas level with Málaga's, if anything a fraction warmer.

This is one of the calmer months on our beach. In a four-year wave record for the water just offshore (Open-Meteo hindcast, 2022–2025), about 40% of November days stayed below half a metre and only around 11% reached a metre or more. After a stormy spell, give the sea a day to settle before you go in.

Think of a good British late-spring day rather than summer. T-shirts and a light long-sleeved layer cover the middle of the day, a warm jumper or fleece covers the evenings, and a proper waterproof jacket earns its place, because a November shower here can be heavy. Bring shoes that cope with wet pavements and a muddy track if you plan to walk in the chestnut woods or the sierra, where it is noticeably colder than on the coast. Pack swimwear anyway for a bright, calm day, and sunglasses for the low sun and the glare off the sea at lunchtime.

October still feels like the end of summer, with afternoons around 23°C and a sea of about 20°C that most visitors swim in. November takes a few degrees off both, to about 19°C and 17°C, and trades beach days for walking, golf and inland drives. December is cooler again at around 17°C, with a 16°C sea and a little more rain, but it has the lights, the puente and the Spanish Christmas season. Pick November for an empty coast and the chestnut woods; pick October if swimming is the point of the trip.