Ponta Delgada in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Ponta Delgada sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 332 mm of rain over about 39 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season 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 17% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Ponta Delgada's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. Ponta Delgada has little temperature swing across the year, so its calendar seasons blur — the season framing matters less here than for a place with four distinct seasons. For the whole year in context, see Ponta Delgada's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 16°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 15°C
- Rainfall
- 332 mm
- 39 wet days
- Avg wind
- 27 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.5
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Ponta Delgada in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C.
A typical winter day in Ponta Delgada reaches about 16°C and drops to 15°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Ponta Delgada 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° / 14° | 102 | 13.3 | 9.7 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 15° / 14° | 86 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 15° / 14° | 97 | 12.2 | 11.7 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 16° / 14° | 73 | 10 | 12.9 | 4.8 |
| May | 17° / 16° | 64 | 9.3 | 14 | 5.6 |
| Jun | 19° / 18° | 40 | 6.9 | 14.6 | 6.6 |
| Jul | 21° / 20° | 18 | 4.7 | 14.3 | 7.6 |
| Aug | 23° / 21° | 34 | 6.2 | 13.5 | 7.6 |
| Sep | 22° / 21° | 58 | 9.9 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 20° / 19° | 108 | 13.9 | 11 | 5.8 |
| Nov | 18° / 17° | 82 | 10.8 | 10 | 5.6 |
| Dec | 17° / 15° | 144 | 14.7 | 9.4 | 4.7 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 17% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Ponta Delgada gets around 332 mm of rain over 39 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 27 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min in early December to 11 hours 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 2.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Ponta Delgada
None of Ponta Delgada's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Ponta Delgada sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.
Is winter a good time to visit Ponta Delgada?
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 Ponta Delgada for sightseeing.
What to pack for Ponta Delgada in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Ponta Delgada sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 15°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 39 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Ponta Delgada in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 17°C across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in March near 16°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 23 to Nov 6 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | Cool |
| Feb | 16 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 18 | Cool |
| Jun | 20 | Cool |
| Jul | 22 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 23 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 23 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 21 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 19 | Cool |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Ponta Delgada in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ponta Delgada peaks around August 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Where is Ponta Delgada?
Ponta Delgada sits at 37.7°N, 25.7°W, 12 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Angra do Heroísmo, 169 km away.
Topography around Ponta Delgada
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Ponta Delgada.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponta Delgada has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 228 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 937 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,068 m.
The land around Ponta Delgada is covered by water (48%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (66%) within 16 km, and water (92%) 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 Ponta Delgada (37.7395°, -25.6687°, elevation 12 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.