- Temperature
- Feels like
- Rain
- Wind
- Sea water
- Waves
- Updated
Sea water: 19.5°C, warming slightly to around 21°C over the coming days
Waves: 0.5m
At 19.5 °C the water in Monte Gordo is fresh. Fine for a dip, but the first minute bites.
Sunrise: 06:57 · Sunset: 20:04 · Day length: 13h 8m
| Day | Sea water | Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 28/08 | 19.5 °C | 0.5 m |
| Saturday 29/08 | 19.7 °C | 0.5 m |
| Sunday 30/08 | 19.9 °C | 0.5 m |
| Monday 31/08 | 20.2 °C | 0.6 m |
| Tuesday 01/09 | 20.3 °C | 0.6 m |
| Wednesday 02/09 | 20.4 °C | 0.5 m |
| Thursday 03/09 | 20.8 °C | 0.4 m |
| Month | Average water |
|---|---|
| January | 15.8 °C |
| February | 15.5 °C |
| March | 16.1 °C |
| April | 18.2 °C |
| May | 18.9 °C |
| June | 21.7 °C |
| July | 22.5 °C |
| August | 23.2 °C |
| September | 20.8 °C |
| October | 20.7 °C |
| November | 18.3 °C |
| December | 16.0 °C |
Monthly averages for 2022–2025.
This page shows the water temperature at Monte Gordo 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.
Monte Gordo is at the eastern end of the Algarve, near the Guadiana and the Spanish border, with pine woods behind an unusually wide beach. The shelf here is shallow, south-facing and sheltered from the northerly wind, and it sits far enough east to escape the upwelling that cools the rest of the coast. The result is the warmest sea on the Portuguese mainland by a clear margin, close to 23 °C at the end of summer and still around 15 to 16 °C in winter.
The water is warmest in August, averaging 23.2 °C, and coldest in February at 15.5 °C. The Algarve peaks in late summer, well after the hottest weather on land, and September usually beats June comfortably.
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.
The draw is simply the water: the mildest sea on the mainland, shallow a long way out and calm enough for children and long swims alike. Pedalos, paddleboards and beach volleyball fill the wide sand, and the pine woods behind give shade for the middle of the day. Boat trips run on the Guadiana, and the ferry across to Spain leaves from Vila Real de Santo António a few minutes away.