Climate Madeira
One of the archipelago's greatest assets is its eternal spring! Given its subtropical latitude, the archipelago enjoys a temperate oceanic climate, mild and clement all year round. So forget the cold of winter or the heatwave of summer, and enjoy the legendary mildness of this floating garden. The balance of the Madeiran climate is maintained by the encounter between the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and the colder currents of the Canaries, with the influence of the trade winds, those regular northerly and north-easterly winds. Average temperatures range from 13 to 20°C in winter and 15 to 26°C in summer. So, neither too cold nor too hot, Madeira's climate is conducive to the blossoming of a natural world as diverse as it is opulent. A gentle Eden, but with climatic variations and dissimilarities due to differences in altitude and exposure.
North/South disparities
While the weather is almost always fine in Funchal and along the entire south coast, it is common for the north coast to be cloudy and rainy. You can therefore leave the capital under a radiant sun to land in a rainy panorama enveloped by a thick fog (better to plan ahead and always equip yourself accordingly!). In any case, the north of the island is generally colder, wetter and more humid than the south. The trade winds, which are initially dry winds, bring moisture-laden air to Madeira on contact with the ocean and "patch" it up on the northern side of the island. This coast, known as the "windward" coast, forces the air to rise; the air often condenses (mist) and, depending on the season, precipitates more or less (rain). Once the ridges have been crossed, some of the moisture is discharged. This phenomenon is at the origin of the marked contrast between the two coasts. There is also an average temperature difference of 3 to 4 °C between the southern and northern coasts.
At altitude
The higher you climb, the more the temperatures drop (no surprise there, but it's a fact we'd be wrong to underestimate on our mountain escapades!). Depending on altitude, the island can be divided into three climatic zones: a subtropical zone between 0 and 300 m, a Mediterranean zone up to 750 m, and then, above this altitude, a temperate zone with a cooling tendency. Clouds generally arrive from the north. They are then stopped by the mountainous terrain. They climb the slopes to around 800 m, then accumulate to reach 1,300 m. In fact, it rains in this area, whereas at lower and higher altitudes the weather remains sunny. This means that the north of the island has far greater water reserves than the south, which can go without rain for up to six months. What's more, the nature of the rock forces water to concentrate in underground aquifers, only to reappear on the north side of the island, due to the inclination of the geological layers. This geographical peculiarity explains the presence of levadas, or irrigation canals, which direct water towards the south of the island. In any case, the island is not about to run out of water: it has a regular natural underground reservoir with an estimated volume of 200 million cubic metres!
Wind and rain gauge
In Madeira, the autumn is stormy and the winter rainy despite the good sunshine and unlike the Canary Islands, which only get the rains in November. Rain is more frequent in the mountains than on the coast, especially between March and October. But rest assured, it remains relatively low, as it only rains about sixty days a year in Madeira. This is still enough to water its tropical nature and its laurel forest. From July to September, the hottest months, the southern side of the island and the plains record a very low rate of rainfall. Between May and September, it rains between 0 and 2 days per month. From the end of September, cyclonic depressions follow one another and give rise to heavy rain and heavy showers. Almost half of the rainfall is recorded during the autumn (compared to 2% during the summer). The wind, on the other hand, blows on the island throughout the year, whether it comes from the east, the ocean or the mountains. This is evidenced by the incredible landings that regularly shake visitors to the archipelago! The Portuguese Meteorological Institute (IPMA) can issue a red alert if the island is hit by heavy rainfall or strong winds.
