Funchal in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Funchal sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 187 mm of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Funchal's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Funchal's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 16°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 13°C
- Rainfall
- 187 mm
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.9
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Funchal in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C.
A typical winter day in Funchal reaches about 16°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Funchal weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16° / 13° | 51 | 8.4 | 10.1 | 4.9 |
| Feb | 15° / 12° | 53 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 4.8 |
| Mar | 16° / 13° | 56 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 17° / 13° | 47 | 8.6 | 12.8 | 5.4 |
| May | 19° / 14° | 28 | 7.4 | 13.7 | 6.4 |
| Jun | 21° / 16° | 13 | 3.5 | 14.1 | 7.5 |
| Jul | 23° / 18° | 4 | 1.4 | 13.9 | 8.6 |
| Aug | 24° / 19° | 7 | 2.5 | 13.2 | 8.6 |
| Sep | 23° / 19° | 25 | 7.7 | 12.2 | 7.2 |
| Oct | 21° / 18° | 69 | 11.7 | 11.2 | 6.1 |
| Nov | 18° / 15° | 64 | 11 | 10.3 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 17° / 14° | 83 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 5.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Funchal gets around 187 mm of rain over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 11 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.0 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Funchal
None of Funchal's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Funchal sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Funchal?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Funchal for sightseeing.
What to pack for Funchal in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Funchal sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Funchal in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 19°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 24°C and coldest in March near 18°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 30 to Dec 14 — about 6.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 20 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | Cool |
| Feb | 18 | Cool |
| Mar | 18 | Cool |
| Apr | 18 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 21 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 22 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 23 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 24 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 21 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 20 | Cool |
UV index in Funchal in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Funchal peaks around July 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 9 | Very high |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Where is Funchal?
Funchal sits at 32.7°N, 16.9°W, 280 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Santo António, 1.0 km away.
Topography around Funchal
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Funchal.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Funchal has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,070 m around an average of 345 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,832 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,780 m.
The land around Funchal is covered by trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (42%) within 3 km, water (47%) and trees (40%) within 16 km, and water (93%) within 80 km.
Portugal travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / E / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 60% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $32,082
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.0 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 95%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.7
- per 100k, 2022
- Road deaths
- 8.2
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- Very high
- EF EPI 612
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Funchal (32.6657°, -16.9255°, elevation 280 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.