The Fuerteventura wind, and how to use it in your favour
It is not a run of bad luck or a bad season: in Fuerteventura the wind is the climate. The island is the oldest in the archipelago and therefore the most eroded and the flattest, and with no mountains to slow the trade wind, it comes in and finds nothing to stop it.
Why here and not on the other islands
The western islands are young and tall: La Palma and Tenerife raise barriers of more than two thousand metres that force the air up, to condense and drop its water. Fuerteventura does not. It is heavily eroded, has gentle relief and the trade wind crosses it almost untouched.
From that come its three characteristics, which are the same fact seen three ways:
1. Constant wind, mostly from the north and north-east.
2. Very little rain, because the air does not rise and does not condense.
3. Arid landscape, with no laurel forest, sand and rock in plain view.
How to use it in your favour
- Wind sports. It is why the island is a recognised kitesurf and windsurf destination: you do not have to wait for conditions.
- Choose the beach orientation. With a north-easterly trade wind, west- and south-facing beaches tend to be more sheltered. East-facing ones can be exposed.
- The parasol is the problem, not the sun. On an exposed beach a badly anchored parasol is a projectile. Anchored awnings or fabric windbreaks work far better.
What the wind will ruin if you do not plan for it
Eating outdoors on an exposed terrace, anything involving paper or a tablecloth, and the windiest hours, which tend to be the afternoon. Moving the picnic to mid-morning changes the day.
And your skin: with wind you do not feel the heat, so more people burn. The constant breeze dries the sweat and misleads you about the radiation you are taking.
When there is less of it
The trade wind blows hardest in summer, when the pressure difference between the Atlantic and the continent is greatest. In winter it eases, though it never disappears entirely.
Frequently asked questions
›When is Fuerteventura least windy?
In winter. The trade wind blows hardest in summer, when the pressure difference between the Atlantic and the continent is greatest. In winter it eases, though it never disappears entirely: it is the island’s climate, not an episode.
›Why is it windier here than in Tenerife or La Palma?
Because Fuerteventura is the oldest island and therefore the most eroded and the flattest. The western islands raise barriers of over two thousand metres that force the air upwards; here the trade wind crosses without obstacles.
›Which beaches are more sheltered?
With the prevailing north-easterly trade wind, west- and south-facing beaches tend to be better protected than east-facing ones. It is worth checking the beach orientation against the day’s wind direction before deciding.