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Right now in Santa Cruz: partly cloudy, 20°C, feels like 21°C.
Expect a mostly cloudy week in Santa Cruz, with temperatures staying fairly steady between 18°C and 25°C. Rain is most likely on Sunday.
Daytime highs this week are close to the October average of 24°C.
Sunrise: 08:08 · Sunset: 19:38 · Day length: 11h 29m
Sea water: 23.9°C, cooling slightly to around 23°C over the coming days
Wave height: 0.7m (min 0.7m on 2026-10-12, max 1.3m on 2026-10-18)
Santa Cruz water temperature for the next 7 days · Sea temperature along the whole coast
Santa Cruz sits on the east coast of Madeira, just along from the airport, and is one of the easiest places on the island to reach the water. Praia das Palmeiras runs below the town, there is an aquarium in an old fort and a large water park on the hillside above. As almost everywhere on Madeira, the beaches are pebble rather than sand, which keeps the water notably clear.
The climate is mild all year: summer afternoons around 24–26 °C and winter days at 18–19 °C, with the rain arriving mostly between October and March. The east coast is drier and sunnier than the north of the island. Deep water close to shore keeps the sea steady, mild through winter and warm by early autumn, generally running from about 18 °C in late winter to 23–24 °C in September and October.
| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.4 | 18.4 | 12.7 |
| February | 13.8 | 18.3 | 12.2 |
| March | 14.1 | 18.5 | 13.1 |
| April | 14.7 | 19.5 | 10.7 |
| May | 16.1 | 20.7 | 10.5 |
| June | 18.0 | 22.6 | 9.3 |
| July | 19.6 | 24.4 | 5.4 |
| August | 20.6 | 25.7 | 6.1 |
| September | 20.0 | 24.7 | 11.8 |
| October | 19.2 | 23.9 | 12.8 |
| November | 16.8 | 21.0 | 14.4 |
| December | 15.3 | 19.3 | 14.8 |
Going by Santa Cruz's own averages, July is the most balanced month: highs near 24 °C and about 5 rainy days. The hottest month is August at 26 °C, and the wettest is December with 15 rainy days.
Averages for 2016–2025. A rainy day is one with at least 1 mm of precipitation.
From late August to October, when the water reaches around 23–24 °C, its warmest of the year. It bottoms out near 18–19 °C in February and March, which is still mild enough for a swim. Madeira has the smallest seasonal range of any Portuguese coast.
Pebble, like most of Madeira. Praia das Palmeiras and the beaches nearby are made of smooth stones rather than sand, so beach shoes are worth packing, and there are bathing platforms with ladders into the sea as an alternative. The upside is water that stays very clear.
It is convenient. The airport is minutes away, Funchal is about twenty minutes by road, and the town has the aquarium, the water park and a seafront promenade of its own. It is quieter and cheaper than Funchal, though you will want a car or the bus for exploring the island.