The icy, arctic blast that has struck most parts of Europe has not spared the Costa del Sol either – for the first time in a decade, snow fell on Marbella, turning the famous peak La Concha, the mountain overlooking Marbella's luxury Sierra Blanca apartment development, into a snowy winter-wonderland.
Almost all of Malaga province experienced snowfall. Many roads in the Ronda Mountains were cut off. Schools had to be closed and many places of business did not expect to see members of their workforce, because in some inland parts of the Costa del Sol snow had fallen overnight between three and six centimetres deep.
Holidaying at the Costa del Sol? Be sure to pack frostbite protection!
Snowdrifts are not exactly what newly-minted expat householders expected to find, when they purchased a dream home “in the sun”! The Costa del Sol is a place where one expects to have guaranteed sunshine – typically for 300 days of the year.
The Sierra Bermeja, the mountain range towering over popular resort Estépona, was also covered in powdery snow. With temperatures falling to just four degrees Celsius during the day, many homeowners in rural areas surrounding Marbella will have turned to their open fire places for comfort – if they're fortunate enough to have one that is. For many householders the only available heat source may just be the pizza oven next to the barbecue installed on their sun terraces. Not all urban homes feature heating systems either. Three layers of woolly jumpers and several pairs of socks later shivering expats are still wondering why they left the warm comfort of their former Yorkshire homes for the icy climate of the Costa del Sol!
The Costa del Sol recorded one of the coldest nights on record, when temperatures fell to almost zero degrees during the night this week. Thankfully, weather forecasts promise milder temperatures are ahead.
The worst of the snowfall came down in the Serrania de Ronda, but the Sierra de las Nieves also saw considerable snowfall, as did the aforementioned Sierra Bermeja above Estépona. Even the city of Malaga and Montes de Malaga didn't escape the snow flurries. Alhaurin, the Axarquia, Cartama and Mijas all reported heavy snowfall.
As snow and ice still clung to palm fronds so heavy they were drooping, most key roads were already being gritted by emergency vehicles. A yellow warning has been put in place by authorities for most inland areas of Andalucia.
Despite a certain big and blustery American's refusal to believe in climate change, the evidence of disrupted weather patterns is all around us. Prospective holiday and permanent home purchasers looking for their dream home at the Costa del Sol should bear this in mind, when looking at properties. Installing heating systems at a later point can be very costly, messy and rather disruptive. Be sure to ask estate agents to show you only homes that have both air-conditioning and heating systems installed, if you are being shown “off-plan” properties or key-ready homes nobody's lived in.