Hats and scarves at the ready as cold snap approaches

WINTER may finally be set to descend on southern Spain, as the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, has forecast a “drastic” change in weather from Monday November 21 onwards, with a significant drop in temperatures and the probability of rain across Malaga province.

The change may be felt most dramatically in the Serrania de Ronda and the Costa del Sol, as a deep cold front descends from Cantabria.

It may be worth taking full advantage of the balmy conditions predicted for Saturday and Sunday, when temperatures should reach 23°C in Malaga city and on the coast, and around 20°C in the Guadalhorce Valley.

The cold snap is expected to last until at least Friday, and should be accompanied by rainfall which will be most pronounced around Estepona, the Strait of Gibraltar, Serrania de Ronda and high Axarquia.

Although quantities of water cannot be anticipated, the hope is that it will continue to rain throughout the week, since November is traditionally the wettest month but this year the first two weeks have been almost entirely dry .

In total this year, rainfall has amounted to 249 litres per square metre, less than half of the annual average of 540 litres.