The island is located at the 37th parallel and is the most south-eastern, and the least rainy, of the Azores islands. The highest peak on the island is the Pico Alto, 587 meters (1,925 feet) high.
, there are several rainy and windy periods. Even if the temperature is not low, the wind can increase the feeling of cold.
Cold weather is rare, however, occasionally there can be relatively cold days, with lows of 6/7 °C (43/45 °F) and highs of about 12 °C (53.5 °F).
, there are spring-like periods, when the weather is variable and there are intermittent rains. However, short, hot periods can sometimes occur, which resemble the Mediterranean summer, with lows around 23/24 °C (73/75 °F) and highs around 28/29 °C (82/84 °F).
to visit Santa Maria runs from June to August, since it is the warmest and the least rainy period of the year. In May, you can go, but cool and rainy days are a bit more frequent.
Even in summer, it's better to bring a sweatshirt, and maybe a light jacket for the evening.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15.2 °C, with a minimum of
13 °C and a maximum of
17.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10.5 °C. However, it dropped to
6.4 °C in January 2009.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19.5 °C. However, it reached
22 °C in January 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
85 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 30% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
21.8 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
February, the coldest month of the year, is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
14.8 °C, with a minimum of
12.4 °C and a maximum of
17.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
7.2 °C in February 2014.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19.5 °C. However, it reached
22 °C in February 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
70 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 33% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
21 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
March is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15.2 °C, with a minimum of
12.7 °C and a maximum of
17.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
6.3 °C in March 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20 °C. However, it reached
23.6 °C in March 1995.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 36% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
22.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
April is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16 °C, with a minimum of
13.3 °C and a maximum of
18.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10.5 °C. However, it dropped to
6.8 °C in April 1991.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21 °C. However, it reached
24.5 °C in April 2002.
Precipitation amounts to
55 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 40% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
May is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.4 °C, with a minimum of
14.7 °C and a maximum of
20.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in May 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23 °C. However, it reached
29.2 °C in May 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
40 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
18.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
June is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
19.6 °C, with a minimum of
16.8 °C and a maximum of
22.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
14 °C. However, it dropped to
12.4 °C in June 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24.5 °C. However, it reached
28.1 °C in June 2005.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 45% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
16 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
20.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
July is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
21.8 °C, with a minimum of
18.9 °C and a maximum of
24.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
15.5 °C. However, it dropped to
15 °C in July 1993.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
27 °C. However, it reached
29.4 °C in July 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 55% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
21.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
August, the warmest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of
23.1 °C, with a minimum of
20.2 °C and a maximum of
26 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
18.5 °C. However, it dropped to
16 °C in August 1994.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28 °C. However, it reached
30.6 °C in August 2013.
Precipitation amounts to
35 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 8 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 58% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
14.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
September is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
22.2 °C, with a minimum of
19.3 °C and a maximum of
25 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
18 °C. However, it dropped to
15 °C in September 2001.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
27 °C. However, it reached
28.5 °C in September 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 50% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
15.9 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.4 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
October is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20 °C, with a minimum of
17.5 °C and a maximum of
22.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
14.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10.7 °C in October 2015.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
26.6 °C in October 2009.
Precipitation amounts to
75 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20.4 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
22.6 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
November is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
17.6 °C, with a minimum of
15.2 °C and a maximum of
19.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13 °C. However, it dropped to
8 °C in November 1994.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
22.5 °C. However, it reached
25 °C in November 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
115 mm, distributed over 11 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 3.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 36% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
20.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
20.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
December is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16 °C, with a minimum of
13.9 °C and a maximum of
18.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
6.2 °C in December 2000.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20.5 °C. However, it reached
22.6 °C in December 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
80 mm, distributed over 12 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 3 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 33% of the time.
The average humidity is 81%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
22.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
19.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.