Weather in Madeira in January
Averages, what the month actually feels like, and what is on while you are here.
January averages
| Measurement | Funchal, south coast | Santana, north coast | Pico do ArieiroModel grid cell at 1,758 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 19 °C | 16 °C | 7 °C |
| Average low | 14 °C | 11 °C | 2 °C |
| Daylight | 10.3 h | 10.3 h | 10.3 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 January
Funchal averages 74 mm of rain in January, on 7 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 January feels like
January is the coolest month at sea level, and cool in Funchal still means walking the promenade without a coat at midday. Fronts arrive off the Atlantic, clear, and leave a run of low bright days behind them. The mountains behave like a separate island and can sit under cloud or snow while the seafront stays dry.
What to pack
Layers rather than bulk: a fleece, a light waterproof shell and shoes with real grip. Add gloves and a warm hat if you intend to be above 1,500 metres before dawn.
What to do in January
Waterfalls along the levadas are as full as they get and the paths are quiet. Whale watching runs through the winter, the Funchal market is at its best early, and the first clear morning after a front is the one to go up for sunrise.
Worth knowing before you book
Storms close levadas, sometimes for a week at a time, and the road across the mountains can shut for ice. Check trail status the evening before rather than at the trailhead.
Cruise ships in January
48 ship calls at Funchal in January, which is what fills the old town and the cable car on a weekday morning.
Busiest days: Saturday, January 2, Tuesday, January 5, Tuesday, January 12
Quick answers
- How warm is Madeira in January?
- In Funchal an average January day reaches 19 °C and falls to 14 °C overnight. Pico do Arieiro averages 7 °C in the same month, so the mountains need their own layer.
- Does it rain in Madeira in January?
- Funchal records about 74 mm across January, on 7 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 January?
- The sea off Funchal averages 20 °C in January. Madeira has no shallow shelf to warm it, so the water stays close to that figure all month.
- How long are the days in January?
- About 10.3 hours between sunrise and sunset, which sets how much of a long levada walk you can fit in before dark.