Weather in Madeira in April
Averages, what the month actually feels like, and what is on while you are here.
April averages
| Measurement | Funchal, south coast | Santana, north coast | Pico do ArieiroModel grid cell at 1,758 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 20 °C | 17 °C | 9 °C |
| Average low | 14 °C | 11 °C | 3 °C |
| Daylight | 13.0 h | 13.0 h | 13.0 h |
| Sea temperature | 20 °C | – | – |
Temperature and daylight, averaged over the ten years from 2016 to 2025 and recomputed from the Open-Meteo archive rather than typed in by hand. The model works in cells roughly ten kilometres across, so each column describes an area rather than one thermometer. Checked against IPMA's Funchal normal, the temperatures land within about a degree and a half. Sea temperature averages the years 2022 to 2025. The marine record is shorter than the air record, so it rests on fewer years.
Rain in April
Funchal averages 44 mm of rain in April, on 5 days with a millimetre or more.
The north coast around Santana and the mountains above a thousand metres are wetter than the seafront in every month of the year, often several times over. IPMA publishes no station normal for Santana or Pico do Arieiro, so this page puts no millimetre figure on them rather than one it cannot check.
Rainfall: the IPMA climate normal for the Funchal observatory (station 522, 58 m), averaged over the 30 years from 1981 to 2010. The ten-year reanalysis behind the table above is not used for rain. Its grid cell is about ten kilometres across, so it averages the Funchal seafront with the slopes that climb steeply behind the city, where most of the island's summer rain falls. Measured against this normal it runs roughly ten times high in June, July and August.
What April feels like
April is warm without being hot and the island is at its greenest. Sea breezes keep the coast comfortable and the evenings no longer need a heavy layer.
What to pack
Light clothing with one warm layer, walking shoes, and sun cream. The UV is stronger than the temperature suggests.
What to do in April
The Flower Festival takes over Funchal a couple of weeks after Easter. This is the best month of the year for the long levada walks, before the summer haze settles in.
Worth knowing before you book
Easter is the busiest week of the spring for hotels and hire cars, so book early. Showers still pass through, usually briefly.
Cruise ships in April
49 ship calls at Funchal in April, which is what fills the old town and the cable car on a weekday morning.
Busiest days: Wednesday, April 7, Monday, April 5, Monday, April 12
What is on in April
Quick answers
- How warm is Madeira in April?
- In Funchal an average April day reaches 20 °C and falls to 14 °C overnight. Pico do Arieiro averages 9 °C in the same month, so the mountains need their own layer.
- Does it rain in Madeira in April?
- Funchal records about 44 mm across April, on 5 days with a millimetre or more of rain. The north coast and the mountains take several times as much in the same weeks, which is why the two halves of the island can look like different holidays.
- Can you swim in the sea in April?
- The sea off Funchal averages 20 °C in April. Madeira has no shallow shelf to warm it, so the water stays close to that figure all month.
- How long are the days in April?
- About 13.0 hours between sunrise and sunset, which sets how much of a long levada walk you can fit in before dark.