Climate and seasonality
Menorca's Mediterraneanwinters are delightfully mild, with temperatures hovering around 12°C. It's precisely for this mildness that many Europeans have chosen to settle in the archipelago, the winter months being the quietest time of year. Although the weather can sometimes seem unstable, the days are usually sunny, clear and limpid. But beware: the temperature drops in the evening, and the nights can be quite chilly! That's why you only need a jacket or coat at dusk. Throughout the day, a simple sweater will do. Occasionally, however, Menorca finds itself caught in powerful winter storms. These usually last only one or two days, during which gusts of wind can create spectacular waves!
Spring and autumn are highly variable seasons, but it's then that we can enjoy the most beautiful weeks of the year, with perfect sunshine and ideal temperatures. There may be a few days of sporadic but heavy rain. Although it rarely rains for a whole day, it can last a long week around the equinox. In spring, however, even under stormy skies, it's not cold. When there's a thunderstorm, the temperature rises to 20/25°C immediately afterwards, or the next day at the latest. The sun always manages to warm the air and dry the earth. Despite this impressive rainfall, the island, like the rest of the archipelago and the Iberian Peninsula, has been suffering from drought for several years. Lately, rainfall has become more sporadic, and the drought in Menorca and the Balearic Islands has been more severe than in the so-called very arid regions of the peninsula.
Summer is the main tourist season, starting in June and sometimes in mid-May for those lucky enough to be able to take a vacation at this early date. The weather is warm and the sun is shining. The sky is blue and the water is cool (around 25°C), but the beaches are calmer. In the evenings, the temperature cools and a little wool is tolerated. An easterly or rising wind may blow. June marks the start of the tourist invasion. Naturally, it's hotter - sometimes too hot, up to 40°C.
Climate change and the Balearic Islands
In Menorca, as elsewhere, global warming is already having an impact. In just over a century, the Mediterranean basin has recorded a temperature rise of +1.5°C, above the global average. Even if the Paris Agreement targets of limiting global warming to 2°C are met, the consequences for the countries bordering the Mare Nostrum are worrying. Reduced summer rainfall could impact agricultural production. Rising water levels due to melting glaciers and flooding are another serious threat for Menorca and the Balearic Islands, home to many coastal communities. Added to this is the warming of the Mediterranean's surface - the islands are among the regions most affected by this phenomenon - but also its constant acidification, with the consequent upheaval of the marine ecosystem and therefore of the fishing industry. In 2019, the Balearic government voted in an ecological action plan aimed at drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
