Algarve Weather - Uncovered!
The Algarve boasts a magnificent all year round climate, with over 3,000 hours sunshine a year and clear blue skies for most of the year! Algarve weather averages 12 hours of sunshine a day in the summer and 6 hours in the winter. Despite being on the Atlantic coast, the Algarve has a Mediterranean-like climate with mild winters and long, hot summers. If we get some rain in the Algarve (which of course we do from time to time), most of it occurs in the 'serra' (the mountainous highland area in the north) and the coastal area averages just 50mm (2 inches) a year. The highest point in the Algarve, at Foia (near Monchique) does, very occasionally, see some snow, but you have to be quick to see it before it melts!
For Algarve holidays during the summer months, packing is simple because you just need to think "hot, hot, hot"! If you are coming at any other time of the year, you will want to know more about average daily Algarve temperatures throughout the seasons so you know what to pack and what you can plan for things to do in the Algarve. So with the Algarve Weather Forecast giving you current weather conditions across the region, our seasonal weather guide and our Algarve weather blogs, this is weather in the Algarve Portugal...Uncovered!
Winter weather in the Algarve
From December to February, normally the coldest months of the year, air temperatures average between 9°C and 16°C but temperatures in the sun are regularly in the low 20's. Night temperatures can drop to between 4°C and 6°C and it does rain from time to time but on the whole it is spring-like and the countryside is refreshed and lush. In January and February the almond trees are in blossom and the wild flowers are starting to appear.
Spring weather in the Algarve
In March and April the temperatures in the Algarve have risen to around 18°C to 20°C in the shade and temperatures in the sun anywhere from mid 20's to 30°C. By May it's really more like summer with shade temperatures in the mid 20's and sun temperatures staying around 28°C to 30°C. The countryside is in full bloom and the cliff tops, particularly in the western Algarve, are a mass of colour and some quite unusual plants like the giant fennels and the huge "flowers" of the Agaves.
Summer weather in the Algarve
June to September are the hottest months and the chance of rain is practically nil. June and September temperatures are around the mid 20's in the shade and 30°C plus in the sun but July and August are hotter still with shade temperatures rarely dropping below 30°C and reaching up to 40°C (or more sometimes) in the sun. The Algarve does benefit from light sea breezes which cool things down a little! Nightime temperatures rarely fall below 18°C and are normally still in the low 20's.
Autumn weather in the Algarve
October and November are usually glorious months being just a little cooler than the height of summer but with temperatures in the low to mid 20's in the shade and from 25°C to 35°C in the sun it's still very warm. It's not at all unusual to spot people sunbathing on the beaches in November!