Today's weather for Funchal, Madeira Islands5th Sep 2008 11:00

back to top

Weather Overview for Funchal

Funchal is the capital of the Madeira Islands and is located on the south coast of the archipelago’s main island Madeira.

Funchal’s climate consists of hot dry summers and very mild winters. Generally the rain falls between October and March while the rest of the year is very dry.

The surrounding seas are warm thanks to the ocean currents in the area. This helps dictate the climate and mean an absence of extreme hot or cold temperatures. Cooling winds visit the island to keep summer temperatures very pleasant. Humidity is usually comfortable in Funchal and stays quite stable year round at between 64% and 68%.

The prevailing winds in the region have a significant effect on Funchal’s weather. The main wind to affect the weather is the north east trade wind that comes down from the coast of Portugal. This helps to moderate summer temperatures but can also bring the rain in winter. Also you get hot winds that blow over from North Africa. When these prevail it’s the one time you can experience very hot weather in Funchal.

Being on the south coast, Funchal is one of the sunniest and driest place in Madeira. This is a summary of the weather in Funchal during the different seasons of the year:

Summer

Summer is the most popular time to visit Funchal thanks to the great temperatures and abundant sunshine.

June to September is classed as the summer period, although temperatures are still warm in the months either side of this period. In summer the average daily highs are around the mid 20s. Temperatures vary relatively little between night and day as lows rarely drop far below 20C. So summer temperatures are generally very comfortable; cooling sea breezes usually ensure relief from scorching weather.

Sometimes, however, it can get very hot in Funchal and temperatures touching 40°C have been recorded.  This happens when the ‘Leste’ wind blows across from North Africa. Although this wind only prevails a few times a year, it is well known for its ability to bring scorching temperatures in the mid-30s and above.

Rainfall is extremely low throughout summer. June averages just 5mm, while July and August often see no rainfall at all. Rainfall starts to increase a little from late September and that month averages 25mm.

Autumn

Temperatures are warm throughout autumn, although rainfall is more likely. October and November see excellent daytime temperatures with highs averaging in the low to mid 20s. It doesn’t drop below the high mid teens at night either. Sometimes temperature can get up into the high 20s and with plenty of sunshine around it can be a great time to visit Funchal, especially as the crowds are fewer and the prices cheaper than the summer months.

Rainfall does increase throughout autumn. October sees around 80mm and November is the wettest month of the year on average with close to 90mm. Rather than falling over many grey drizzly days, this rainfall tends to occur in short sharp showers so you actually only get about a week of rainy days per month in autumn. This leaves lots of sunny days to enjoy.

Storms can come in from the Atlantic in late autumn and though not frequent they can bring a couple of days of wet and windy weather.

Winter

Winter weather can be very good in Funchal. Certainly it never gets cold and with highs averaging nearly 20C and lows in double figures it is hard to describe this season as ‘winter’. There is a healthy 5 to 6 hours of average sunshine. The good weather makes Funchal a good place to escape the cold winters elsewhere in Europe.

Rainfall is quite high in early winter, averaging more than 80mm. Again, though, most of this falls in short bursts or over a couple of days in heavy storms so there is plenty of sunny weather. Rainfall decreases a little throughout winter and January and February see around 70mm.

Spring

Spring is another good time to visit, especially in late spring when the first summer weather arrives.

Early spring is still a little wet with around 80mm of rainfall but this month signals the end of the rainy season. Rainfall soon dries up and May sees less than 20mm while enjoying 8 hours of sunshine per day.

Temperatures in early spring are warm; March and April see highs averaging 19°C and lows 13°C. In May daytime temperatures are regularly in the 20s and this is the start of the long hot sunny summer days.

back to top