- Temperature
- Feels like
- Rain
- Wind
- Sea water
- Waves
- Updated
Sea water: 25.4°C, practically unchanged all week
Waves: 0.5m
At 25.4 °C the water in Funchal is genuinely warm. Comfortable for long swims.
Sunrise: 07:48 · Sunset: 20:21 · Day length: 12h 33m
| Day | Sea water | Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 09/09 | 25.4 °C | 0.5 m |
| Thursday 10/09 | 25.2 °C | 0.4 m |
| Friday 11/09 | 25.3 °C | 0.5 m |
| Saturday 12/09 | 25.4 °C | 0.5 m |
| Sunday 13/09 | 25.4 °C | 0.5 m |
| Monday 14/09 | 25.5 °C | 0.5 m |
| Tuesday 15/09 | 25.5 °C | 0.4 m |
| Month | Average water |
|---|---|
| January | 20.0 °C |
| February | 19.4 °C |
| March | 19.2 °C |
| April | 19.8 °C |
| May | 20.8 °C |
| June | 22.1 °C |
| July | 23.7 °C |
| August | 24.6 °C |
| September | 24.3 °C |
| October | 23.8 °C |
| November | 22.5 °C |
| December | 21.0 °C |
Monthly averages for 2022–2025.
This page shows the water temperature at Funchal today and over the next seven days, so you can pick the best beach day before you go.
Sea temperature moves much more slowly than air temperature. A hot afternoon does not warm the ocean, and a windy day can cool it fast. Checking the water itself is the only reliable way to know what to expect.
Funchal sits on the sheltered south coast of Madeira, surrounded by deep Atlantic water that changes little from day to day. The sea stays mild all year, cooler than the Algarve at the height of summer but far warmer through winter and spring.
The water is warmest in August, averaging 24.6 °C, and coldest in March at 19.2 °C. Madeira has the smallest seasonal swing of all the Portuguese coasts, and the sea stays mild even in midwinter.
The ocean gains and loses heat far more slowly than land, so it runs months behind the seasons. On top of that, the summer northerly wind pushes surface water offshore and draws cold deep water up in its place, which is why a heatwave on land so often coincides with a colder sea.
Ocean swimming all year at the city's bathing complexes, diving in the Garajau Nature Reserve, famous for its groupers, and whale and dolphin boats that work every season: Funchal's Atlantic does not close for winter.