These stories hit the headlines every year and are rarely true: Newspapers and websites twist the facts to sell copies and get traffic and here's how they do it.

First, they take the highest possible temperature forecast for a place that is experiencing a heatwave somewhere in Europe. 

Then they compare it to the average temperature in Gran Canaria for the period.

Since average temperatures in Gran Canaria include readings made at altitude, and at night, they tend to be lower than the actual temperature you experience at sea level. 

If the average temperature in Gran Canaria is 23ºC, then you can expect 30ºC on the beaches. 

So even in the middle of summer it's almost always warmer in Gran Canaria than anywhere in Northern Europe.

However, it almost always cooler than it is in southern Europe as the trade winds keep the temperatures in Gran Canaria right in the pleasant range.

Don't believe us? Join our Facebook page and send us a temperature reading at any time. We'll run out and photograph a thermometer here in Gran Canaria.

Bring it on!