São Martinho in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), São Martinho 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 São Martinho's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see São Martinho'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 São Martinho in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 16°C.

A typical winter day in São Martinho reaches about 16°C and drops to 13°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.

10°13°15°18°20°DecJanFeb

São Martinho 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 13°518.410.14.9
Feb15° / 12°537.910.84.8
Mar16° / 13°5610.311.85.0
Apr17° / 13°478.612.85.4
May19° / 14°287.413.76.4
Jun21° / 16°133.514.17.5
Jul23° / 18°41.413.98.6
Aug24° / 19°72.513.28.6
Sep23° / 19°257.712.27.2
Oct21° / 18°6911.711.26.1
Nov18° / 15°641110.35.6
Dec17° / 14°8310.49.95.1

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

São Martinho gets around 187 mm of rain over 27 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%50%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 11 km/h across winter.

051015DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

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.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.0 kWh/m².

012345DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Hazard calendar for São Martinho

In seasonPeak

None of São Martinho's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.

São Martinho sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Atlantic hurricane
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is winter a good time to visit São Martinho?

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.

4.9
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit São Martinho for sightseeing.

What to pack for São Martinho in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, São Martinho sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near São Martinho 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.

16°18°20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May19Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep24Refreshing
Oct23Refreshing
Nov21Refreshing
Dec20Cool

UV index in São Martinho in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 São Martinho 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 11Dec 16UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar9Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct7High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is São Martinho?

São Martinho sits at 32.6°N, 16.9°W, 198 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Santo António, 2.0 km away.

Topography around São Martinho

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of São Martinho.

Within 3 km, the terrain around São Martinho has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 469 m around an average of 108 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 São Martinho is covered by water (40%), artificial surfaces (34%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, water (55%) and trees (32%) within 16 km, and water (93%) within 80 km.

3 km
469 m
16 km
1,832 m
80 km
1,780 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
Winter weather nearby: Santo António 2.0 km · Funchal 3.0 km · Câmara de Lobos 4.0 km · Caniço 9.0 km · Santa Cruz de la Palma 447 km · Los Llanos de Aridane 453 km · Tacoronte 466 km · La Laguna 466 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
Catholic 68%not applicable 13%no religion 12%no response 2%

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 São Martinho (32.6448°, -16.9384°, elevation 198 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.