Snow blankets the mountains of the Costa del Sol

Snow is visible today on the highest peaks of the mountain ranges near the Costa del Sol, after a very cold night and the storm that hit the coast yesterday evening.

The Sierra de Mijas received the biggest snowfall with many people heading up to the white-covered tops to enjoy the spectacle. There is also snow at high altitudes by Alhaurín de la Torre and Los Montes de Malaga, especially in Casabermeja; as well as in points of Sierra Bermeja, among other areas.

Yesterday morning the lowest temperature so far this winter was recorded at Malaga Airport, with a chilly 3.9C, and it was below zero inland, in areas such as Antequera. José Luis Escudero, author of the blog Tormentas y Rayos said the low temperatures have allowed the snow to persist today, although it will tend to disappear in the next few hours and no new precipitation is expected.

"The Hannelore storm is disappearing today, but yesterday it generated a line of instability which caused rain at sea and on the coast of Africa, and which also struck the coast of Malaga and Granada, with hail and snow".

Jesús Riesco, director of the Aemet Meteorological Centre in Malaga, described the event as "a very isolated episode". Riesco said that temperatures will remain below normal all this week, with highs of 15-16C, although at the weekend they will drop to 14C. The minimums will recover a little, down to 6C-8C in Malaga city and along the Costa del Sol.

From Monday and Tuesday of next week they will begin to recover slightly, but without major changes, until they reach "normal February values", around 18C maximum, Riesco added.