Madeira's climate is one of the major reasons why the island is so
popular among tourists. The combination of warm summers and mild
winters has earned
Madeiraa
reputation as a haven where visitors can take a break from their own
harsher seasons. The island is rarely, if ever, either too cold or too
hot.
Lying off the north-west coast of
Africa
,
Madeira benefits both from a sub-tropical latitude and the warm waters of the
Gulf Stream.
During the summer months (July to September), the air temperature
averages between 21°C and 24°C. In the winter (December to March)
temperatures typically hover between 15°C and 20°C. Rainfall is
moderate, averaging about 500 mm per year. The driest months are
between May and September. March is the wettest month and July the most
humid. The sea temperature is usually one or two degrees higher than
the air temperature. The best time for swimming is late summer when the
sea typically averages 23°C; the coolest is March when the temperature
drops to around 16°C.
Despite the
Island's generally benign
climate, the weather can be changeable from day to day, and sometimes
even hour to hour. A day which begins with glorious sunshine can be
grey and wet by lunchtime. By the same token, a rainy afternoon can
just as easily become a warm, sunny evening.
There is also often considerable regional variation in weather across the island. Although
Madeira
is only a little over 50 kms long and 18 kms wide, it rises from sea
level to a height of about 1800 metres at the highest point. As a
consequence, the north coast, for example, can experience entirely
different weather to the south on the same day. Similarly, while the
sun may be shining on the coastal villages, up in the mountainous
interior of the island the weather can be much colder and wetter.
This variation has caused people to use the term ‘micro-climates' to describe the weather across
Madeira.
After spending only a week on the island you will know why. One early
twentieth century observer suggested that during the course of an
hour's drive it is possible to pass from a sub-tropical climate to the
climate of the French Riviera, then to
Southern England, then
Scotland,
and finally the Alps. During the winter months it is sometimes even
possible to have a snowball fight on the mountain peaks, drive thirty
minutes down to the coast and go for a refreshing dip in the sea.
This series of ‘micro-climates' has interesting implications for
gardeners and farmers. For example, plants or crops which grow quite
happily at sea-level cannot survive at 300 metres altitude - often
barely a mile away. This phenomenon has blessed
Madeira with a kaleidoscopic array of gardens – the contents of which vary according to their height above sea leve
l.