Weather in Madeira in July
Averages, what the month actually feels like, and what is on while you are here.
July averages
| Measurement | Funchal, south coast | Santana, north coast | Pico do ArieiroModel grid cell at 1,758 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 26 °C | 22 °C | 15 °C |
| Average low | 19 °C | 16 °C | 8 °C |
| Daylight | 14.1 h | 14.1 h | 14.1 h |
| Sea temperature | 24 °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 July
Funchal averages 2 mm of rain in July, on under one day 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 July feels like
July is hot by Madeiran standards and nearly rainless. The heat is even rather than fierce, and the trade wind keeps the coast breathable even at midday.
What to pack
Light clothing, a hat, high-factor sun cream and water for every walk. A fleece still earns its place at 1,800 metres before dawn.
What to do in July
Beach and sea time, early starts on the trails, and the summer festivals in Machico and Câmara de Lobos. Whale watching is at its most reliable of the year.
Worth knowing before you book
Midday on an exposed levada is genuinely hot and shade is scarce. Saharan dust occasionally hazes the air and flattens the long views for a day or two.
Cruise ships in July
5 ship calls at Funchal in July, which is what fills the old town and the cable car on a weekday morning.
Busiest days: Wednesday, July 21, Wednesday, July 28
What is on in July
Quick answers
- How warm is Madeira in July?
- In Funchal an average July day reaches 26 °C and falls to 19 °C overnight. Pico do Arieiro averages 15 °C in the same month, so the mountains need their own layer.
- Does it rain in Madeira in July?
- Funchal records about 2 mm across July, on under one day 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 July?
- The sea off Funchal averages 24 °C in July. Madeira has no shallow shelf to warm it, so the water stays close to that figure all month.
- How long are the days in July?
- About 14.1 hours between sunrise and sunset, which sets how much of a long levada walk you can fit in before dark.