Funchal Weather by Month: Highs, Lows and Rain

For Walking and Sightseeing: April and May

April (21.0°C, 45.2mm) and May (22.0°C, 27.2mm) pair a comfortable average high with the lowest rain outside the summer stretch. Neither month is hot enough to make the climb to Monte Palace Tropical Garden or a walk through the old town uncomfortable, and neither carries the heavier autumn rain. The gap between April's 45.2mm and May's 27.2mm also means the second half of this window is drier than the first, worth knowing if a booking date is flexible either way.

For the Sea and Boat Trips: June to September

June (7.8mm), July (1.7mm) and August (1.3mm) are close to rainless on the IPMA normal, and September holds at 26.6°C with only 23.1mm. This is the stretch whale and dolphin watching and the sunset sail run at their most frequent, our own reading of the season since no official passenger count is published for these months. The average high also peaks here, 26.8°C in August, so a midday walk up to Monte is warmer work than in spring.

For a Quiet, Cooler Visit: January to March

January to March hold the lowest average highs of the year, 19.9°C to 20.6°C, and still sit well above a European winter. Rain is moderate, 62.3mm to 72.4mm, noticeably lighter than the October to December run. Carnival falls in this window most years, covered on Funchal events.

The lower average high also makes the cable car queue and the climb through the old town more comfortable in the early afternoon than the summer stretch above.

The Months to Plan Around: October to December

October (91.2mm), November (80.3mm) and December (94.8mm) are the three wettest months on the IPMA normal, together carrying nearly half the year's total rain. A trip in this window is not a bad idea, since the average high still holds at 21-25°C, but it is worth keeping a rainy day plan ready rather than assuming an outdoor-only itinerary. December also carries the Christmas illumination and the New Year's Eve fireworks, detailed on Funchal events, so the rain trades off against the busiest festival stretch of the year.

The IPMA 1991-2020 normal for Funchal covers air temperature and rainfall only. No official monthly sea-temperature figure exists for the city, so this page prints none. What is confirmed is where to get in the water: the municipal bathing complexes (Lido, Ponta Gorda, Barreirinha, Doca do Cavacas) at $6.88 (€6.00) entry, or the free pebble beaches of Praia Formosa and Praia de São Tiago.

Full detail, including child rates and sunbed prices, is on Funchal beaches.

When Swimming Makes the Most Sense

Pairing the warmest air temperatures (June to September, 23.7-26.8°C) with the lowest rain of the year makes those months the natural swimming window, even without an official water-temperature reading. Outside that stretch the bathing complexes and beaches stay open year round, since no source lists a seasonal closure for them.

This page is built entirely from the IPMA 30-year climate normal, an average of 1991 to 2020. It answers what a month usually does, never what a specific week will bring. For a 10-day, 14-day or hourly forecast, the official source is IPMA itself, which publishes short-range forecasts for Funchal that this guide does not attempt to reproduce or predict.