The terral is a northerly wind blowing from the interior toward the coast, particularly notable in Málaga and the Mediterranean coasts of Andalusia. It is the nocturnal version of the sea breeze/land breeze circulation: during the night, the land cools more rapidly than the sea, and the cool, dense air over land descends and flows toward the coast as a land breeze. However, when the orography of the coastal mountain ranges intervenes, this flow intensifies markedly. In Málaga, the terral occurs when air from inland Andalusia descends the southern slopes of the Montes de Málaga and the Axarquía. As it descends, it warms through adiabatic compression (Föhn effect), arriving in the city as a very warm and extremely dry wind. In summer, the terral can raise nighttime temperatures above 30 °C and daytime temperatures to 40–44 °C in the city, with relative humidity below 15%. These conditions create a high wildfire risk. The Málaga terral is one of Spain's most distinctive winds, creating a coastal paradox: a beach city with inland desert temperatures. On terral days, Málaga's beaches empty at dawn due to the stifling heat. The phenomenon is also observed, with lesser intensity, on other Mediterranean coasts where mountains near the shoreline facilitate the descent of continental air.