Weather in Portugal

Hi Tony,

Why are you puzzled? In the last two weeks there have been two storms that have affected the whole country, including the south. It's almost November.... if it doesn't rain now, when will it rain? ....

https://weatherspark.com/y/32332/Averag … Year-Round

Regards

I'm unfamiliar with the weather in England with the only exposure to movies and TV where it seems to rain a lot. I'm living in Albufeira and, yes, we will see a season of rain that started about a week ago but the ocean was 71 degrees 2 days ago and yesterday was a beautiful beach day with a cloudless sky. A claimed 300 days of sunshine a year. I'm loving it!

Hi there - Yes, we've had storms in the UK too.

Let me clarify what I am looking for.

Weather in the UK can be depressing. It can be cloudy for months in a row. Sunshine can be rare and sometimes that happens in summer too! July 2023 was mostly rainy and cloudy.

Moving to a different country is a big effort so I'd like to make sure to know what to expect there. I've been a couple of weeks in Algarve but that is in the south.

What kind of weather is to be expected in the Centre/Centre-North area? Of course it's going to be rainy in Autumn, but is it going to be an alternate of rain/sunshine or months/weeks of clouds and rain like here in the UK?

Can I ask where you are based? Thanks for your answer!

@bobinportugal

I've been in Albufeira, I know how beautiful that is!   I'm ok with rain, what happens here is that sometimes you have clouds for MONTHS. I'm somehow ok with rain/sun/rain/sun which is normal here. It's when it starts getting cloudy (we call it "miserable weather" here!) that is affecting my mood, particularly in Summer when you're supposed to go out a bit!

Living in the countryside close to Santarem-Portugal we had only sunshine during 4 months!!!  We are now end October but still 21 degrees.  Santarem is a little inland, less or no fog in the morning like places close to the ocean and allways a little warmer.  We came from Belgium.

Hi Greydob

Santarem looks great, not far away from Lisbon!

When you say "we had only sunshine for 4 months" do you mean that for the past 4 months it was sunshine all the time or that you only had sunshine only 4 months in a year?

I definitely see temperatures are much better there compared to here - besides the past few days where it's been winter time, but we had a similar moment in the UK too a few weeks ago so I guess it's the same cold.

Those mild temps are also appealing. I see Winter average in Coimbra is 15C. Sun elevation is also higher than here so a Winter sunny day with 15C must be lovely there. I am originally Italian so I know the feeling!

And I am ok with "morning fog", I experienced in Algarve in March 2020: fog and cloudy in the morning, beautiful and sunny in the afternoon!

Thank you!

Up here between Leiria and Coimbra, it has been raining for a couple weeks.  Abrupt transition from preceding hot, dry weather - under 40°, but hot enough to want to stay inside.  Sometimes autumn is fine in Portugal, but this one isn't shining right now.  Last winter was pretty wet, too, but there were certainly days when it was fine.  Mediterranean climate - dry summer, the rain comes in the winter.  I'm from Seattle, which has pretty close to that - but far enough north, that the wet winter is pretty cold.  Here it's much milder, and not as constant.

All depends where in the UK:

• England - had the better weather
• N.Ireland - cold & wet
• Scotland - had the snow and rain
• Wales - it just rains most of the time

thanks donn25

I am planning to spend some time there - maybe learning the language a bit as a start, wander around and explore.

Portuguese summer is definitely better than British's - and our summer begins in June - so that is a good starting point. When it started raining at the end of June and didn't want to stop, I wanted to cry!

British autumns can be nice too - past 10 days have been very sunny (with spots of rain but not all day) and sunny days here are very nice! But miserable ones can also happen when you very seldom see sunshine for months.

That said, British summer can be splendid - mild temps, everything is green because of the rain, no mosquitoes

Not expecting Caribbean's winters in Portugal of course. I'm only trying to understand what to expect.

Thanks so far for the help. I hope a fellow Brit can also join and comment

    All depends where in the UK:
England - had the better weather
N.Ireland - cold & wet
Scotland - had the snow and rain
Wales - it just rains most of the time

South of England - so we apparently have the "better weather"

For simplicity, you can compare to London.

If you don't mind the heat, I think weather will be a lesser problem.  It is for me anyway.  It's often wet in the winter.  It seems to me we get pretty good weather in the spring, but late spring and early summer it's hay fever time, and the mosquitoes pick up.  Rarely during the day.  The "face" flies are particularly obnoxious in the fall, but more or less present all year.  Like houseflies, but they are attracted to warm blooded animals, like people, and will insistently light on your person.  I think a lot of this can be avoided in the city.

Well, ideally 25C during the day and 17C during the night as during our 5 days of Summer here would be ideal! But I guess I'll have to compromise!

I lived in Italy until 30 so I know how to deal with heat and mosquitoes! Hay fever and dry air might be an issue as it looks that my nostrils don't like that but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

I thought temps in Summer were around 25C on average in the Coimbra area in Summer?

Wet is ok as long as it's not "months of clouds in a row"

I am planning to spend some time in there anyways and experience by myself but your input is important as I might end up spending some time during good/bad weather and that won't mean it's always like that.

Thanks for now!

@tony359 only sunshine, no rain

Coimbra average daily maximum temperature in August 2018 was 30-32°, minimum 18-20°.  According to IPMA.    Of course, the average maximum doesn't tell you what the overall maximum was, and I don't know that.  I don't remember it going over 38° here this summer, but I think it passed 40° last summer (wasn't here then.)

Not going to complain about being "too hot"

As long as there is sunshine

I see you've got the good weather back today and also higher temps

I'll keep monitoring from here!

If there are any fellow Brits on this forum - who are more familiar with British Weather - I'd love to hear their input

Thanks!

I'll let you know if the rain ever stops.

Hi and Welcome,

I'm from the UK and for 18 ish years have spent time in UK and time in the middle of Portugal (and some other places) mainly working outside.   The problem is whatever I think of the weather is only my personal opinion and your personal opinion will be different.  A lot of UK expats move here and think that sunshine  will be like a hot day in the UK then find out that summer's stifling heat makes them retreat indoors, where as the locals being used to this may just take a siesta  but they also go out late in the evening to promenade and socialise and  small kids are running round playing tag at 10pm.  The clear blue sky and sea reflection can destroy pale northern skin in less then an hour, it's not a joke and with the dry vegetation there's wild fires.   The two months or so of wet season can be very stormy wet but mainly not below freezing, gray skies till all the water has fallen then blue with light clouds which build up again, varies from coast to inland mountain area. Rain heavy enough for land slides, wind strong enough for trees toppling and flooding in some areas. Short heavy rain rather the longer mild rain means there is a lack of water in aquifers and reservoirs resulting in  years of official drought. Most tradition houses are stone and not insulated so wet season black mould on walls, furniture and clothes can be a serious issue.  In reality you should come over here and experience it in different places at different times of year as only you can decide if the weather is to your liking or not. But that's Just my opinion.   Good Luck

Thanks for the very helpful insight, it's appreciated! You make a great point, the weather is subjective indeed. But as you are familiar with the weather in the UK, your view is important. Can I ask what area of the UK you are from?

Being originally Italian, I know exactly what you mean when you mention strong sunshine and scorching hot temperatures, wildfires etc.

My body should be a bit more resilient to that. When "heatwaves" hit the UK I feel great while my British friends are melting down!

I'd love a longer "British Summer" - 25C, intermittent rain, mild sunshine, no mosquitoes, but over time I've decided I might prefer the heat and droughts than the endless clouds and rain that can happen here.

I've also read about poor housing insulation online - well, the UK is not doing much better I shall say, some older homes tend to be very damp and poorly insulated. Definitely something to bear in mind when looking for accommodation though.

You are also totally right when you say I should experience Portugal by myself - which I'll do but it's going to be difficult to get a clear picture unless I spend quite a lot of time there so any insight from locals and expats is very valuable.

What is in your opinion a good time to visit Portugal avoiding the worst of the wet season? I'm thinking to spend some time there in Winter anyways, maybe January? I'd like to explore a bit and learn some Portuguese.

Thanks again!

The weather we're having now is unusually wet.  You could come next week and encounter unseasonably warm, sunny weather ... or not.  January likewise.  I'm glad I don't have anyone visiting after talking them into coming in October which is so nice in Portugal.

ahah - I know, I've been in Portugal (Algarve) in October and it was stunning! No tourists, 27C, lots of sunshine!

That's exactly why I am asking a community for feedback - you could come to the South of the UK now and it's been mostly sunny and mild for weeks, you'd be thinking it's normally great weather in October!

"unusually wet" helps a lot in understanding things, thank you!

You could also think it was the monsoon season with the amount of rain with the added floods in the UK.

If you want real data, see https://www.ipma.pt/pt/oclima/monitorizacao/

@Donn

These graphs are misleading. They relate to climate change after 2000's ...

Good point relative to the Anomalia maps.  I should have mentioned though that while they show the variation from norm by default, you can get the actual data for that year also, just have to select it in the Análise control.  That's what I'd be looking at as an indication of what it's been like in recent years.

These maps show the variation in weather from north to south.  Maybe they mask some information by averaging out the extremes, but it seems to me that people have a somewhat exaggerated impression of the cold and rain in the northern half.  You can see the difference, but it's worth bearing in mind that overall it's a rather sunny country, and what looks like the cold, wet extreme on the map, might be the sweet spot relative to the larger (and changing) picture of Europe.

    ahah - I know, I've been in Portugal (Algarve) in October and it was stunning! No tourists, 27C, lots of sunshine!
That's exactly why I am asking a community for feedback - you could come to the South of the UK now and it's been mostly sunny and mild for weeks, you'd be thinking it's normally great weather in October!

"unusually wet" helps a lot in understanding things, thank you!
   

    -@tony359

Not looking good for you.

OK, off topic, I won't say any more about UK weather.

My UK weather hasn't read your map, presently I'm in Surrey in someone's house drinking their tea and feeding their cat, repairing a phone screen,  cloud cover outside is 4/10 one Nimbus (low on horrizon moving slowly east) but mainly cirrus. so 6/10 blue. No wind (weather not me) as in no leaves on any trees moving,  walm enough outside for shirt/tee shirt and will walk into town with no coat for a Weatherspoons breakfast.   

Yes, it looks like Wiltshire also didn't read Strontium's map 100% clear sky this morning and no wind - the BBC forecast intermittent heavy rain though! Unusually nice October I shall say

To be fair, as long as there is SOME sunshine, I'm happy!

Donn25,

I've looked extensively at historic data of weather. There are many websites available showing previous weather over the years. It's just not easy to have a good picture, but they are indeed useful, particularly when it comes to temperature. And as you said, one year might be very dry in winter, the following year it might be soaking wet Nice website though, I'm taking a look!

Don't just look at the weather. There are plenty of houses in Portugal without heating and insulation. With a day temp of 20+, and a night temp of 10 such a house will be rather cold and moist between october and march.

thanks Peter, I read about that and I'll consider that when choosing accommodation.

That said, in the UK older homes are often wholly inadequate when it comes to insulation and heating. New ones can also be bad

I've lived in a 1970 home, the gas heating was retrofitted - I suppose it was electric before - and I could NOT heat the place more than 17C on cold days. It was damp and cold. No heating in the bathroom. Remember out winters are not 15C

Another place I lived in was an old "Victorian House". Beautiful outside but those homes have zero insulation unless fully refurbished. The heating there was "storage electric". It means that radiators only work at NIGHT and they have a 50KG stone inside. Your role is to set the timer so the stone is "charged" of heat enough so it releases enough heat during the following day.

If by any chance the following day is colder than expected and the stones gets cold half way through the day... well, you can put on your coat and make a cup of tea. The smell of mould in that house was unbearable.

This is just to say that what you say is not uncommon in many countries. Some are definitely better than other of course! Thanks for mentioning!

@petersjantj***

I stayed in Lancishire ,went to school in Cheshire,spent 12 years in the U.K 9 months of winter, most days feet so cold you can't  even feel you toes, summer  3 months , light at 04.40 am and dark 10.45 pm , I now stay in Pinial Novo ,it's +- 45 kms from Lisbon, summer very hot, winter warm, definitely  much better weather  than UK.

Indeed one thing I am considering is that even though Winters might be rainy in Portugal too (but generally mild as I understand), Springs and Summers will definitely be much better than here in the UK.

I can cope with winter if I know it's going to be (generally) lovely and sunny around April/May for many months in a row.

What I cannot stand anymore is the Winter weather (and darkness) followed by miserable weather until June, followed by a Rainy summer which then ends mid-August. Mind you, it's not ALWAYS like that.

Thanks for your input Alex!

It's kind of funny that weather in the UK has been better than Portugal's for the past month and a half now We have had lots of rain but also lots of sunshine. The Coimbra webcam I've been following has been showing a gloomy picture there!

It's now warmer in Coimbra now though - here it's already freezing.

I lived in London for years and am currently in Coimbra.

Overall, i find the weather in central Portugal is better than the weather in southern England.

Based on my relatively brief experience here, I have the following comments:

• January to March: plenty of sun with occasional periods of clouds and rain; cool but not as cold as UK; generally feels chilly and damp indoors because of lack of weatherproofing
• April to June: very pleasant
• July and August: often very hot, with temperatures well into the 30s; mitigated by breezes that make sitting outside under an awning or sunshade tolerable and even pleasant much of the time
• September and early to mid-October: very pleasant
• Mid- to late October through December: overcast and rainy, but temperatures milder than UK

If you can deal with feeling cold and damp indoors in winter (which can be mitigated by heaters and dehumidifiers, but electricity is costly, or by spending time outside!) and the clouds and rain in the autumn, it’s fine and overall better than the UK.

Hope this helps.

James

it helps a lot, thank you James! I'm in Swindon so we can compare to London and I am indeed looking at Coimbra.

So it looks like I started looking at the Coimbra Webcam at the wrong time I'll keep looking. Even if it rains, 20C vs the 10C we have here now is still a major improvement!

I've read the comment about building insulations several times now, that's interesting. Does that apply to newer buildings too?

I've read the comment about building insulations several times now, that's interesting. Does that apply to newer buildings too?
    -@tony359

It applies to newer (older a couple of years) buildings, too. But I see that buildings now under construction seem to have some form of insulation. I would say this is mandatory these days. Overall the construction quality is really bad, but most owners don't watch out and once it is all rendered it is invisible.

very interesting. I thought British homes were bad!  Definitely something I'll try to keep an eye on when I'm there. Cheers!

Not all.  Homes for sale will pubish an energy rating.

    Not all.  Homes for sale will pubish an energy rating.
   
    -@donn25

That is true, but the energy rating can be calculated in two different ways (one easy, one complicated) and the easy way depends upon energy consumption over the last years. As you can imagine the latter is most frequently used.