- Temperature
- Feels like
- Rain
- Wind
- Sea water
- Waves
- Updated
Sea water: 19.3°C, cooling slightly to around 19°C over the coming days
Waves: 2.2m
At 19.3 °C the water in Vila Praia de Âncora is fresh. Fine for a dip, but the first minute bites.
Sunrise: 06:57 · Sunset: 20:16 · Day length: 13h 19m
| Day | Sea water | Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 28/08 | 19.3 °C | 2.2 m |
| Saturday 29/08 | 19.3 °C | 1.9 m |
| Sunday 30/08 | 19.9 °C | 1.3 m |
| Monday 31/08 | 19.5 °C | 1.4 m |
| Tuesday 01/09 | 19.1 °C | 1.5 m |
| Wednesday 02/09 | 18.3 °C | 1.1 m |
| Thursday 03/09 | 18.7 °C | 0.8 m |
| Month | Average water |
|---|---|
| January | 14.0 °C |
| February | 13.6 °C |
| March | 14.1 °C |
| April | 15.5 °C |
| May | 15.4 °C |
| June | 16.9 °C |
| July | 15.5 °C |
| August | 15.4 °C |
| September | 16.4 °C |
| October | 17.7 °C |
| November | 16.7 °C |
| December | 14.9 °C |
Monthly averages for 2022–2025.
This page shows the water temperature at Vila Praia de Âncora 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 Praia de Âncora lies between Viana do Castelo and Caminha, with a blue-flag beach beside a small fishing harbour and the Barrosa dolmen inland. The harbour wall and the shape of the bay take some of the edge off the swell, making it calmer than most of the north coast. The temperature is another matter: this is upwelling country, and the sea holds about 15.5 °C in August and near 14 °C in winter.
The water is warmest in October, averaging 17.7 °C, and coldest in February at 13.6 °C. This is Portugal's coldest water: upwelling is at its most persistent here and holds the warming back even at the height of summer.
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 bay is calmer than most of the north coast, which makes it one of the better spots on this stretch for an actual swim rather than a dip. Paddleboards and kayaks work the sheltered water, the fishing harbour sits at one end of the sand, and the Barrosa dolmen is a short walk inland. Surf and wind conditions pick up as soon as you leave the bay.