Madeira weather

• Funchal bay and the south coast

  58 m

  With the south-west coast, the island's warmest and driest zone: 20.0 °C annual mean and 574 mm of rain (1991–2020), almost none from June to August, a mild winter (17 °C in January–February) and a 23–24 °C summer with 104 days above 25 °C. Csa climate (temperate with a hot dry summer) in the AEMET/meteorological institute atlas.

  🗓️ The best months : May to October for the sea and the warmth (less than 30 mm of rain from May to September). March to May for walking without August's heat.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  Rain concentrated from October to March (91 mm in October, 95 mm in December); 53 days ≥ 1 mm a year; highs of 20–21 °C in winter, 25–27 °C from July to September; 71 nights ≥ 20 °C. Records 38.2 °C (9 August 2016) and 38.5 °C in 1976.

  • ❄️December to February: 16.8 to 18.3 °C mean, highs of 20 to 21 °C, lows around 14 °C. This is the wet season — 95 mm in December, 67 in January, 72 in February — but it only rains on 6 to 9 days a month.
  • 🌸March to May: the mean rises from 17.4 to 19.1 °C and the rain fades — 62 mm in March, 45 in April, 27 in May. The first days above 25 °C appear, on average no more than one a month.
  • ☀️June to August: 20.9 then 22.6 and 23.7 °C, with highs of 23.7 to 26.8 °C. Rain is nearly absent — 7.8 mm in June, 1.7 in July, 1.3 in August — and August has 28 days above 25 °C and 23 nights above 20 °C.
  • 🍂September to November: September is still the warmest month in the shade (23.5 °C mean, 26.6 °C high) and dry (23 mm); the rain comes back sharply in October (91 mm) and November (80 mm).

• South-west coast: Ponta do Sol, Calheta

  The sunny coast: the Lugar de Baixo station (Ponta do Sol) has the archipelago's highest annual mean, 19.7 °C, with average highs of 23.3 °C (1971–2000), and Madeira's fewest rainy days: 65 days ≥ 0.1 mm a year, 2.3 mm in July. Calheta is the municipality with the lowest rainfall.

  🗓️ The best months : All year for sun; it is the fallback slope when the north is clouded in.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  About 600 mm of rain a year (600.2 mm at Lugar de Baixo 1971–2000; 583 mm at Ponta do Sol according to Prada 2000), almost all between October and March; dry bright summers, calm sea, late sunsets at Calheta. The fajãs (Fajã dos Padres) enjoy even warmer microclimates at the foot of the cliffs.

  • ❄️The island's driest slope: the Lugar de Baixo station shows Madeira's highest annual mean, 19.7 °C, and only 600 mm of rain over 65 days a year — the regional minimum.
  • 🌸Spring here is already dry and bright: Ponta do Sol is presented as the island's hottest and sunniest municipality.
  • ☀️A very dry summer: 2.3 mm in July at Lugar de Baixo, with annual mean highs of 23.3 °C. This is the coast people head to for sun when the north is clouded over.
  • 🍂Autumn concentrates most of the year's rainfall; the sharpest episode recorded by the atlas is a total of 331.9 mm in 1994.

• East coast: Santa Cruz, Machico

  The airport coast: 18.9 °C annual mean and 21.5 °C average high at Santa Catarina (1971–2000), slightly cooler and windier than Funchal, with 694 mm of rain a year; more sheltered Machico gets only 519 mm — one of the island's lowest values — and 2 days ≥ 30 mm a year.

  🗓️ The best months : May to September for the sea; the wind is an asset for wind sports and a nuisance for eating outside.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  South-coast temperatures tempered by the north-east wind; supervised beaches June to September (Banda d'Além, Reis Magos); heat record 37.3 °C at Santa Catarina (9 September 1988). The east coast's sea water is known for its clarity.

  • ❄️East coast, around the airport: windier and slightly cooler than Funchal bay, with annual rainfall well below that of the north.
  • 🌸A dry, windy spring; this is where the trade winds are felt most, which is why the wind-sport and free-flight sites are here.
  • ☀️A hot, dry summer, comparable to the south but with steadier wind; nights stay mild near the sea.
  • 🍂Rain returns in October and November, less abundant than in the north but enough to green the lower slopes.

• Ponta de São Lourenço, the semi-arid tip

  The world apart at the eastern tip: a semi-arid climate and north winds that allow only creeping plants — not a single tree, so no shade. The peninsula lies in the lee of the mountains that stop the clouds; the nearest station, Machico, is one of the island's least rainy (519 mm a year, 1971–2000 atlas).

  🗓️ The best months : March to June and September to October: neither the heat nor the total absence of shade of July and August.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  Sun and wind almost all year, a yellow-brown landscape in summer; walk early in the morning (PR 8), Prainha supervised 30 June – 27 September. No official normal is published for the peninsula: Machico and Santa Catarina values are indicative only.

  • ❄️The island's driest tip: no meteorological institute station publishes a normal here, but the landscape — bare ground, low vegetation — reflects a semi-arid regime beaten by wind all year.
  • 🌸Spring is the best season to walk it: clear light, still moderate temperatures and dry ground.
  • ☀️A very exposed summer: no shade and no water on the peninsula, and the wind blows harder than elsewhere. Setting off early is the rule.
  • 🍂Autumn brings back a little moisture and colour on the ridges, without changing the arid character of the place.

• North coast: Santana, São Jorge, Faial

  The windward side: at equal altitude the north coast is wetter than the south (Prada et al. 2009). meteorological institute Santana station: in January, average highs 16.1 °C and lows 10.5 °C with 103 mm of rain; in July, mean 18.8 °C, highs 22.0 °C and 26 mm (1991–2020 normals derived from the 2026 official bulletins). The 1971–2000 atlas gives a 12.7 °C annual mean minimum.

  🗓️ The best months : May to September, when the clear spells last longest; winter there is green but very wet.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  Hydrological year October–July: about 1,060 mm in a normal year at Santana (derived from 1,125.5 mm = 106% in 2025–2026), nearly double Funchal; lively sea and swell, water access often limited (Rocha do Navio), the Ponta Delgada and Calhau de São Jorge pools as refuges. Wind measured at Ponta de São Jorge.

  • ❄️North coast: January runs at about 13 to 14 °C mean at Santana, with the year's heaviest totals; damp is the rule and sun has to be earned.
  • 🌸Spring is green and changeable; it is the season when the Laurissilva is at its most expressive, between showers and clear spells.
  • ☀️The island's mildest summer: July stays around 20 °C mean at Santana, against 22.6 °C in Funchal, and the rain never disappears completely.
  • 🍂Autumn is the wettest period: most of Santana's annual total falls between October and July.

• North-west coast: Porto Moniz, Seixal

  The far north-west, at the foot of the Laurisilva cliffs: the northern sea beats the coast, yet the seaside climate is mild — Porto Moniz council gives 20–21 °C as the mean water temperature in the natural pools, and the bathing season is the island's longest, 15 April to 15 October. Meteorological institute Porto Moniz station without a published normal.

  🗓️ The best months : The official bathing season, 15 April to 15 October, for the natural pools.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  Frequent swell and spray, lava pools as the safe swim. Seixal and Ribeira da Janela live on terraced vines; in July 2026 the station recorded a 21.4 °C mean and a 30.0 °C absolute high. Rain more abundant than on the south coast, without an official normal figure.

  • ❄️The far north-west takes the swell and the western fronts head on; winter is wet there and the sea often heavy in front of the natural pools.
  • 🌸Spring opens the best window for swimming in the pools: calmer sea, slopes still running with water.
  • ☀️The Porto Moniz bathing season runs from 15 April to 15 October; summer there is cooler and cloudier than on the south coast.
  • 🍂Autumn closes the bathing season and brings back the big northern swells, watched from the seafront.

• Northern Laurisilva belt: Ribeiro Frio, Queimadas

  870 m

  The cloud forest, between 600–800 m and 1,600 m: this is where cloud cover persists according to Prada et al. (2009) and where the humid Laurisilva harvests the fog. The Ribeiro Frio post receives 2,160 mm of rain a year and Poiso 2,077 mm (1971–2000), three to four times Funchal, 20 km away.

  🗓️ The best months : April to June for the levadas: a forest running with water and long days, before the autumn rains.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  Frequent fog and coolness all year at Ribeiro Frio, wet levada ledges, a torch useful in tunnels; rainy days fall mostly between October and March, but summer drizzle exists. Daily rainfall record at Poiso: 251.8 mm (21 December 1977).

  • ❄️Between 400 and 1,200 m the cloud belt sits still: Ribeiro Frio, at 870 m, is cool and damp all year, and winter adds wind and rain.
  • 🌸Spring is the best levada season: the forest runs with water, the springs flow and the light finally gets through the canopy.
  • ☀️Even in summer, occult precipitation — fog condensing on the leaves — feeds the springs: the mechanism that keeps the levadas alive.
  • 🍂Autumn is the wettest season in the forest belt; the tunnels and exposed passages then call for care.

• Eastern highlands: Santo da Serra, Camacha

  700 m

  The 700 m plateau between Machico and Santa Cruz, romantic and often misty: the Santo da Serra station has a 9.1 °C annual mean minimum (1971–2000), eight degrees below Funchal, yet can also heat up — 35.0 °C on 10 August 1976 — and receive downpours: 247.5 mm in one day on 20 October 1997.

  🗓️ The best months : April to June, at blossom time, and September for the mildness.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  Frequent north-east wind and fog, lush exotic vegetation, golf and the Quinta park; in July 2026 the station recorded a 14.2 °C mean. A jacket is useful even in summer.

  • ❄️The eastern plateau, around 700 m: cooler and damper than the coast, often in the clouds when Funchal is in the sun.
  • 🌸Spring there is mild and full of blossom; it is the season for golf and for walks under the big trees of Quinta da Junta.
  • ☀️Summer stays temperate: the plateau runs a few degrees below the south coast, which makes it a refuge when it is hot below.
  • 🍂Autumn brings the rain and the fog; the peak daily rainfall recorded by the atlas there is high.

• Paul da Serra and Bica da Cana

  1,580 m

  The island's water tower: 2,635 mm of rain a year at Bica da Cana and 2,794 mm at Encumeada, the archipelago's highest values (1971–2000), 235 fog days a year (INMG 1979, cited by Prada et al. 2009), mean lows of 5.6 °C and a record −9.5 °C on 5 March 1993. The regional forestry institute calls it the main aquifer recharge area.

  🗓️ The best months : May to September, the least wet window; outside it, fog and frost are frequent.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  Fog, wind and cold possible in any season; even in June Bica da Cana receives 66 mm, and Encumeada 477 mm in December, with 28 days ≥ 30 mm a year; 70 days ≥ 10 mm at Bica da Cana. Under the tree heaths, fog precipitation captured by the vegetation far exceeds rainfall (Prada et al. 2009). In clear weather both coasts are visible.

  • ❄️The plateau at 1,500 m is the island's wettest point: 2,635 mm a year at Bica da Cana, 2,794 mm at Encumeada, and an absolute minimum of −9.5 °C. Snow and ice are possible.
  • 🌸Spring alternates fog and wide visibility; 235 fog days a year were recorded at Bica da Cana.
  • ☀️Even in summer the plateau stays cool and windy — 66 mm of rain in June at Bica da Cana — and it can turn white in minutes.
  • 🍂Autumn is the season of the big totals: 259.6 mm in a single day was recorded at Bica da Cana, and 477.4 mm in December at Encumeada.

• Maciço Montanhoso: Pico do Areeiro, Pico Ruivo

  1,818 m

  The island's roof, the only sector classed Csc (dry cool summer) in the AEMET/meteorological institute atlas: at the Chão do Areeiro station, a 5.8 °C January mean (highs 8.7 °C, lows 2.8 °C) and 15.2 °C in July (1991–2020 normals derived from the 2026 official bulletins); 2,620 mm of rain a year and 188 days with precipitation ≥ 0.1 mm (1971–2000), 229 fog days (INMG 1979).

  🗓️ The best months : May to September for the summit crossing, setting off at dawn; the regional forestry institute's publishes trail status before every outing.

  Usually ▾Show less ▴

  A normal January: 225 mm of rain at Chão do Areeiro. July: 14 mm. The peaks often rise above a sea of clouds, but frost is possible (−7.0 °C on 6 March 1994; −2.4 °C on 14 January 2026) and the wind is strong: warm layer and windbreaker even in summer, when average highs barely exceed 17–18 °C. Hydrological year October–July: about 2,070 mm in a normal year.

  • ❄️Above 1,800 m, winter is a mountain winter: frequent frost, possible snow, strong wind. It is also the season of cloud seas below the peaks.
  • 🌸Spring opens the best window for the Areeiro – Ruivo crossing: longer days, still cold air, often excellent visibility at first light.
  • ☀️Summer is the safest season at altitude, but the gap with the coast is still ten degrees or more: you climb with warm clothes even in August.
  • 🍂Autumn brings back the fronts and the fog; the regional forestry institute's reminds walkers to turn back in heavy rain, wind or hail, all frequent on the ridges.

Funchal/Observatório (IPMA 522, 58 m) station