Can you tan in Lanzarote in winter?

Lanzarote is flat, breezy and usually clear, which makes its winter sun easy to underestimate. Month-by-month UV and burn times by skin type.

By the Sunkat team · Updated 27 October 2026 · General information, not medical advice

Short answer: yes. On a clear day Lanzarote's midday UV is about 5 in November, 4 in December, 5 in January and 7 in February, roughly what London gets between late April and May. Fair skin can start to redden after about 41 minutes at a December midday, and the sun is much stronger from April to September, when the UV index reaches 13.

UV index in Lanzarote by month

Clear-sky UV index at midday near Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, with how long fair (type II) and medium (type III) skin take to start reddening without sunscreen at that peak. Peak months for Lanzarote visitors are highlighted: November 5, December 4, January 5, February 7, March 9.

Month	Midday UV clear sky	Fair skin first redness	Medium skin first redness	Typical cloud cover
January	5 moderate	33 min	40 min	43%
February	7 high	23 min	28 min	47%
March	9 very high	18 min	22 min	51%
April	11 extreme	15 min	18 min	47%
May	13 extreme	12 min	15 min	46%
June	13 extreme	12 min	15 min	58%
July	13 extreme	12 min	15 min	46%
August	12 extreme	13 min	16 min	48%
September	10 very high	16 min	20 min	46%
October	7 high	23 min	28 min	51%
November	5 moderate	33 min	40 min	48%
December	4 moderate	41 min	50 min	46%

Midday UV is modelled from the sun's height and typical ozone for Lanzarote (Madronich 2007), rounded. Haze and cloud make many real days 1 to 2 points lower. Cloud cover is the median for each month in 2023 to 2025 (Open-Meteo). Over the year the clear-sky peak runs from 4 to 13.

The wind makes it feel weaker than it is

Lanzarote is the most easterly Canary Island, about 125 km off Morocco, and it is mostly low and dry, so it has fewer cloudy days than the higher islands. The trade wind keeps it feeling cool, but wind has nothing to do with UV. A breezy 21°C day at UV 5 burns exactly as fast as a hot one.

Dark volcanic sand reflects less UV than white sand, but water does not protect you: about 40% of UV still reaches half a metre down (WHO). See clouds, windows and water.

Summer

From April to September the clear-sky midday UV is 10 to 13. Fair skin can start to redden in under 20 minutes, and midday shade becomes important.

Frequently asked

Can you tan in Lanzarote in December?

Yes, slowly. The clear-sky midday UV is about 4, enough to tan and, for fair skin, to burn after about 41 minutes at midday.

Can you tan in Lanzarote in February?

Yes. By February the midday UV is about 7 on a clear day, noticeably stronger than in December.

Is Lanzarote sunnier than Tenerife?

Lanzarote is flatter and usually less cloudy than Tenerife's north side, while the sun's strength (the UV index) is almost identical across the Canary Islands.