Mallorca Weather and When to Go
Mallorca's temperature is the easy part. What actually changes a day here is wind, and after that the autumn rain — and both arrive at the time of year most people assume is safe. Wind decides more of this than rain does, and it is why the boat tours in Mallorca Spain are worth booking early in a stay rather than on the last afternoon.
What the weather does to a day out here
Three things follow from Mallorca's weather, and only one of them is about comfort.
Wind cancels boats. Not rain. Several operators here say so outright: a trip may be cancelled without notice for weather, one sea-caving day swaps to an alternative cave when the sea is dangerous, and on one sailing boat the sails only go up if the wind allows. That is the system working. The fix is to put your boat day early in the stay so there is another morning to move it to, and every trip here refunds in full at 24 hours.
The autumn rain is heavier than people expect. October is the wettest month of the year at 62 mm and September is second at 50 mm — both of them months people book because the sea is still warm. It is a good trade, but it is a trade.
The mountains are cooler than the coast. The figures below are Palma's, at sea level. The Serra de Tramuntana rises to 1,445 metres, and a village day tour in April can be pleasant in Palma, mild in Sóller and genuinely cold at a viewpoint above it.
Book the morning, not the afternoon
The wind on the Bay of Palma builds through the day, so in July and August a boat trip that leaves at 10:00 is the calmer one.
Mallorca month by month
Figures are AEMET's climate normals for Palma de Mallorca Airport, 1981–2010. The annual mean is 16.5 °C and the annual rainfall 411 mm.
January
A mean of 9.5 °C, highs around 15.2 and lows near 3.8, with 37 mm of rain. The quietest month on the island and the coldest the sea gets. Most boat operators are out of the water or running a reduced timetable, and the Tramuntana villages belong to the people who live in them again. Good for walking the range, poor for swimming.
February
Almost identical on paper — 9.8 °C mean, 15.4 max, 4.0 min, 32 mm of rain. The almond blossom comes through the interior in late February and it is the one thing that draws visitors this early. Days are short and the sea is at its coldest, so this is a driving and walking month rather than a boat one.
March
11.3 °C mean, highs of 17.5, and 26 mm of rain — the driest month of the first half of the year. The light lengthens and the range dries out underfoot. Boat operators start returning to the water towards the end of the month, though the water itself is still cold enough that a swim stop is a brief one.
April
13.6 °C mean, 19.8 max, 34 mm of rain. The island turns green and the walking is at its best before the heat arrives. Most boat trips are running by now. Take a layer for the deck: the air is pleasant ashore and noticeably cooler once you are out on the water.
May
17.5 °C mean, highs near 23.7, 32 mm of rain. The first month most people find the sea warm enough to swim in without flinching, and the coves are still quiet. The full timetable is running and the small-group boats have space. If you want the summer options without the summer crowds, this is the month.
June
21.7 °C mean, 28.1 max, and the rain collapses to 12 mm. Long days, reliable water and the start of the busy season. Book the boats ahead from here on: the small-group caps of eight to twelve fill quickly, and the well-known coves take on their queues.
July
24.8 °C mean, highs of 31.2, and 5 mm of rain across the whole month — the driest of the year. Peak season in every sense. The sea is warm, the boats are full, and the steps down to Caló des Moro have a queue on them. Start early, and put your boat day on the calmest morning you have.
August
The warmest month: 25.1 °C mean and 31.3 max, with 17 mm of rain. The heat is real inland and the mountain roads are busy. On the water it is the easiest month of the year to swim and the hardest to get a seat. Anything you actually want in August wants booking before you fly.
September
22.2 °C mean, 27.9 max — and the rain returns hard, at 50 mm. The sea is still holding its summer heat while the crowds thin, which is why a lot of people call this the best month here. The trade-off is that an autumn shower can move a boat day at short notice.
October
18.5 °C mean, highs of 23.9, and 62 mm of rain — the wettest month of the year. The water is still swimmable and the light is good, but the timetable begins to thin and weather cancels more than it does in summer. Keep a spare day in the plan.
November
13.7 °C mean, 19.0 max, 55 mm of rain. The season is over for most of the boats. The range is at its best for walking, the villages are quiet and the olive harvest is on. If you are coming now, come for the land rather than the water.
December
10.8 °C mean, 16.1 max, 48 mm of rain. Short days, a cold sea and a largely local island. Palma's centre is worth a winter weekend on its own and the Tramuntana is walkable in the cold, but the boats are not the reason to be here in December.
The seasons, and which one you want
| Month | Mean °C | Mean max °C | Mean min °C | Rain mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9.5 | 15.2 | 3.8 | 37 |
| February | 9.8 | 15.4 | 4.0 | 32 |
| March | 11.3 | 17.5 | 5.2 | 26 |
| April | 13.6 | 19.8 | 7.4 | 34 |
| May | 17.5 | 23.7 | 11.3 | 32 |
| June | 21.7 | 28.1 | 15.4 | 12 |
| July | 24.8 | 31.2 | 18.3 | 5 |
| August | 25.1 | 31.3 | 18.9 | 17 |
| September | 22.2 | 27.9 | 16.5 | 50 |
| October | 18.5 | 23.9 | 13.1 | 62 |
| November | 13.7 | 19.0 | 8.3 | 55 |
| December | 10.8 | 16.1 | 5.4 | 48 |
Spring, March to May
Green, quiet and good for walking. The sea becomes swimmable in May and the boats come back to full timetable. The best compromise if you want both halves of the island.
Summer, June to August
Hot, dry and busy. Five millimetres of rain in July is as reliable as weather gets. Everything runs and everything fills, so book ahead.
Autumn, September to November
Warm water and thinning crowds through September, then the wettest stretch of the year. October gives you the best light and the highest chance of a cancelled boat.
Winter, December to February
Cool, quiet and local. The range is walkable, Palma is pleasant and the boats are mostly out of the water. Come for the land.
The sea, and when it is warm enough
No official month-by-month sea series for this coast was obtainable, so there is no sea column in the table above and there will not be one until there is a source to put behind it. What can be said honestly is the shape: the sea lags the air by about two months, so it is at its coldest in late winter and its warmest in late summer, and most visitors find it comfortable from roughly May through October. September water is warmer than June water even though September air is cooler — which is the single most useful thing to know when you are choosing between the two.
Best time of day
Morning
Calmer water on the Bay of Palma, cooler walking in the villages, and the coves before the queues. The 10:00 boat departures are the ones to take in high summer.
Afternoon
Warmer water, more wind. Fine in May and September, less so in August. Afternoon departures around 15:30 suit people who want a slower start.
Sunset
Sold on the light rather than the sea state, and the departure time moves through the season. Two trips here run a sunset option on the same listing as their daytime one.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Mallorca?
Will rain cancel my boat trip?
When is the sea warm enough to swim?
Is Mallorca worth visiting in winter?
Morning or afternoon for a boat trip?
Where to go next
The map shows where each trip leaves from, which decides how far you drive on a bad-weather morning. The things to do page has the wet-weather answers, and Mallorca Spain Tours lists what is running.
Sources
Checked on 5 September 2026. Climate normals are thirty-year averages, not a forecast for your dates. Check a forecast in the week before you travel.
Pick your month, then pick your trip
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on every trip here, which is what makes booking early safe.
See Top Tours