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Weather Overview for Santa Maria

Santa Maria has a semi-desert climate with high temperatures and low rainfall year round. Sandstorms are possible at any time of year. The resort sits on the southern tip of Sal, one of the windward Cape Verde islands, and benefits from constant northeast trade winds that have made Santa Maria famous for water sports such as surfing, windsurfing, kite-surfing and sailing. The clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean are also great for scuba diving and big game fishing.

Summer, from June till December, is hotter and wetter than winter. The average high temperature stays in the high 20s, peaking in September at a scorching 29°C. During these months night time temperatures can be too hot for comfort, staying in the low to mid 20s. The wind somewhat tempers the heat at all times. With the peak of the heat also comes a peak in humidity, not anywhere near tropical levels but still less pleasant than any other time of the year in Cape Verde. The little rain that does fall in the area falls between August and October. This is no reason to avoid Santa Maria, or anywhere else in Cape Verde, as rainfall is limited to very brief showers which quickly return the sky to its usual sunny state. That is not to say that rain in Cape Verde is a no fuss business; showers can sometimes turn into heavy storms, causing flash flooding before they disappear. But even in rainiest September, rain only makes an appearance on around seven days. The sea in this season stays in the mid to high 20s.

Winter, from January till May, is drier and milder than summer. The average high temperature slips down to 24°C in January and February before heating back up to an optimal 25°C from March till May. Night time lows generally fall just below 20°C: still hot but rarely unbearable. Low humidity, which really lasts for the whole year, makes the pleasant heat easy to acclimatise to. The sea gets down to around 23°C, more than warm enough for the water sports for which the area is so popular. The northeast trades continue to provide wind for sails as well as a cooling breeze on land.

In Cape Verde endless sunshine, perpetual heat, a reliable wind and the absence of rain are pretty much guaranteed no matter what time of year it is. Santa Maria sees around 350 days of brilliant sunshine each year; clouds sometimes flit unassumingly across the sky but grey days are very rare. September, the worst month to visit in terms of weather, is just a bit too hot. However, it should be noted that this is because Cape Verde is really a cluster of desert islands. There is almost zero vegetation due to the arid climate. While it is much milder than the Sahara to its east, it looks rather similar.

The position of the Cape Verde islands, just off the west coast of Africa, assures high temperatures. Their proximity to the Sahara means they are heavily influenced by hot, arid weather coming over from the continent, often bringing momentous sandstorms. Apart from being unpleasant, these disrupt transport, grounding planes and making driving impossible. Surrounded by water and the Canary Current, Cape Verde avoids the extremes of temperature seen in the true dessert. Sal is a flat, topographically featureless island presenting no barrier to wind hence its susceptibility to sandstorms and lack of precipitation.