AEMET's normals for Málaga Airport give April an average daily maximum of 21.4°C, an average daily minimum of 11.1°C, 44mm of rain across 4.5 days and 244 hours of sunshine. The rainfall figure is the one worth stopping on: this page said 30mm until today, a third less than the official record. April is also the single month in the first half of the year where the wet-day count goes up rather than down.
The drying trend, and April's exception
Wet days fall steadily out of winter and then reverse exactly once. Set against the neighbouring months, from the same AEMET record behind the month-by-month weather guide:
| Month | Rain days | Rainfall | Avg max |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5.8 | 69 mm | 16.8°C |
| February | 4.8 | 60 mm | 17.7°C |
| March | 4.0 | 52 mm | 19.6°C |
| April | 4.5 | 44 mm | 21.4°C |
| May | 3.1 | 20 mm | 24.3°C |
| June | 0.8 | 6 mm | 28.1°C |
April is wetter than March by wet-day count and drier by total volume, which is a genuinely odd combination and tells you what April rain is like: more frequent, lighter, and quicker to clear. It is the month of the short heavy shower followed by sunshine, rather than the month of the front that settles in.
The rest of April's numbers, checked against the same record:
| Measure | April normal | This page previously said |
|---|---|---|
| Mean temperature | 16.3°C | not stated |
| Average daily maximum | 21.4°C | 21°C |
| Average daily minimum | 11.1°C | 11°C |
| Monthly rainfall | 44 mm | 30 mm |
| Days with measurable rain | 4.5 | not stated |
| Monthly sunshine | 244 hours | 8 hours/day |
| Mean relative humidity | 63% | not stated |
The temperatures were fine. The rainfall was not, and 30mm against a real 44mm is the difference between planning for the odd shower and planning for nothing at all.
Sea temperature is the number nobody can settle, because AEMET publishes no sea surface temperature. Commercial models put the Málaga sea around 17°C in April, climbing through the month. That is swimmable for the acclimatised and bracing for everyone else, and it is the first month of the year where getting in is a real option rather than a dare.
Easter is in March in 2027, which leaves April clear
April's crowd level is decided by a date that moves. When Holy Week falls in April, the first half of the month carries the biggest crowds and prices of the spring; when it falls in March, April is one of the calmer months of the year.
In 2027 Holy Week runs 21 to 28 March, entirely inside March. That makes April 2027 an unusually quiet April – spring conditions, no Semana Santa premium, and the summer crowds still two months away. The March page covers what that week does to the city when it lands there instead.
Check the year you are actually travelling in rather than assuming, because the swing between an Easter April and a non-Easter April is larger than anything on the weather table.
What 244 hours of sunshine buys you
Around 8.1 hours a day, which is where April separates itself from March. Combined with a 21.4°C afternoon, it is the first month of the year that supports a full day outdoors without either heat management or a coat.
That is the practical case for April over every other month for the things that are punishing in summer. The Caminito del Rey in April is wildflowers and comfortable temperatures rather than an exposed gorge at 35°C – though April slots are among the hardest of the year to secure, precisely because the conditions are this good. The white villages and the inland day trips are green from winter rain and not yet baked.
The city monuments are in the same window: warm enough to enjoy, cool enough for the climb, and the queues that define July have not formed.
The shape of an April day
An 11.1°C night against a 21.4°C afternoon is a 10.3°C swing, the widest of any month in the first half of the year, and it is why April catches people out on packing.
- Morning: cool and bright. Good for the uphill things before the day warms.
- Midday to late afternoon: the usable stretch, and genuinely warm in direct sun. Second-half-of-month afternoons reach 23–24°C.
- After sunset: down towards 11°C, quickly. A light jacket at 21:00 is not optional, whatever the afternoon felt like.
Sunset runs from around 20:30 early in the month to past 21:00 by the end, which is the first taste of the long Andalusian evenings.
What to pack
- Summer clothes plus one real layer: the afternoon is a t-shirt, the evening is not.
- A packable waterproof: 4.5 wet days, mostly short sharp showers rather than all-day grey.
- Comfortable walking shoes: April is the month you will actually walk the city rather than shuttle between air-conditioned rooms.
- Swimwear: for a short swim and the first sunbathing of the year, at 17°C water.
- Sunglasses and sun cream: 244 hours of sun is more than most northern European summers manage.
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