- Temperature
- Feels like
- Rain
- Wind
- Sea water
- Waves
- Updated
Sea water: 18.7°C, cooling slightly to around 18°C over the coming days
Waves: 1.6m
At 18.7 °C the water in Vila Nova de Milfontes is fresh. Fine for a dip, but the first minute bites.
Sunrise: 07:41 · Sunset: 19:01 · Day length: 11h 19m
| Day | Sea water | Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 13/10 | 18.7 °C | 1.6 m |
| Wednesday 14/10 | 18.9 °C | 1.4 m |
| Thursday 15/10 | 18.8 °C | 1.7 m |
| Friday 16/10 | 18.9 °C | 1.7 m |
| Saturday 17/10 | 18.5 °C | 2.1 m |
| Sunday 18/10 | 18.3 °C | 2.1 m |
| Monday 19/10 | 18.0 °C | 1.4 m |
| Month | Average water |
|---|---|
| January | 16.0 °C |
| February | 15.5 °C |
| March | 15.4 °C |
| April | 16.2 °C |
| May | 16.5 °C |
| June | 18.2 °C |
| July | 17.6 °C |
| August | 17.4 °C |
| September | 17.1 °C |
| October | 18.6 °C |
| November | 17.8 °C |
| December | 16.5 °C |
Monthly averages for 2022–2025.
This page shows the water temperature at Vila Nova de Milfontes 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.
Vila Nova de Milfontes sits at the mouth of the Mira river, inside the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park. The town has two very different waters: the river beaches such as Franquia are calm, shallow and noticeably warmer, while the ocean sand at Farol takes the full west-facing Atlantic. Summer upwelling keeps that ocean side around 17 °C in August, so most families swim on the river and walk out to the sea for the waves.
The water is warmest in October, averaging 18.6 °C, and coldest in March at 15.4 °C. On the Alentejo and Vicentina coast the sea behaves like the west coast, with summer upwelling keeping the water cool even in August, so the warmest readings arrive in early autumn once the nortada eases. River-mouth beaches such as Milfontes and Odeceixe run a few degrees warmer than the open ocean.
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 Mira is the centre of everything: kayaking and paddleboarding upriver, calm swimming at Franquia and boats running down to the mouth. Out on the ocean side, Farol and the beaches beyond pick up proper Atlantic surf, and the coastal paths of the natural park run north and south from the town. Most people do both, river in the afternoon and ocean when the swell is worth it.