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The climate of Alcobaça is
temperate oceanic, with mild, rainy winters and pleasantly warm, sunny summers.
The city is located in central Portugal, in the district of Leiria, about 10 km (6 miles) from the ocean, where Nazaré is located.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 10.3 °C (50.5 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 21.5 °C (70.7 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Alcobaça - Average temperatures (2016-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 6 | 14 | 10.2 | 43 | 58 | 50.4 |
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| February | 8 | 16 | 12 | 46 | 62 | 53.6 |
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| March | 8 | 17 | 12.8 | 47 | 63 | 55.1 |
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| April | 10 | 19 | 14.4 | 50 | 66 | 57.9 |
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| May | 12 | 23 | 17.4 | 54 | 73 | 63.3 |
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| June | 14 | 23 | 18.7 | 58 | 74 | 65.7 |
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| July | 16 | 25 | 20.7 | 61 | 78 | 69.3 |
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| August | 16 | 27 | 21.4 | 61 | 80 | 70.4 |
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| September | 14 | 26 | 20.3 | 58 | 79 | 68.5 |
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| October | 13 | 23 | 17.8 | 55 | 73 | 64.1 |
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| November | 10 | 18 | 13.8 | 50 | 64 | 56.8 |
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| December | 8 | 16 | 12.1 | 47 | 61 | 53.8 |
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| Year | 11.3 | 20.7 | 15.95 | 52.4 | 69.2 | 60.5 |
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amounts to 840 millimeters (33.1 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 10 mm (0.4 in) in the driest months (July, August) to 130 mm (5.1 in) in the wettest (December). Here is the average precipitation.
Alcobaça - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 105 | 4.1 | 11 |
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| February | 100 | 3.9 | 11 |
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| March | 60 | 2.4 | 8 |
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| April | 75 | 3 | 10 |
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| May | 65 | 2.6 | 9 |
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| June | 25 | 1 | 4 |
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| July | 10 | 0.4 | 1 |
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| August | 10 | 0.4 | 2 |
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| September | 35 | 1.4 | 5 |
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| October | 95 | 3.7 | 10 |
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| November | 125 | 4.9 | 11 |
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| December | 130 | 5.1 | 13 |
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| Year | 840 | 33.1 | 95 |
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, from December to February, is mild.
There are many sunny days, in which the air is mild during the day, but it can get cold at night. On the coldest nights of the year, the temperature typically drops to 0 °C (32 °F) or slightly below. Also, in periods of good weather, fog can form at night and in the early morning.
However, there are also periods of bad weather, with wind and rain.
Snow in Alcobaça is very rare, however, snowfalls occurred in February 1954, in January 2006 and in January 2010. The lowest record is -5.5 °C (22 °F), recorded in January 1985.
Summer, from June to mid-September, is hot and sunny, with very rare rains.
Given the proximity of the ocean, there are several cool days, with highs of 21/22 °C (70/72 °F).
However, from mid-June to early September, there can be very hot periods, typically short-lived, in which the temperature reaches 38/40 °C (100/104 °F) or even more.
The highest record is 43 °C (109.5 °F), recorded in August 2018. In June 1981 and August 2005, it had reached 41 °C (106 °F).
However, even in these cases, the temperature generally decreases a lot at night.
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On average, there are around 2,650
sunshine hours per year: therefore, the amount of sunshine is good. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Alcobaça - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 4.5 | 140 | February | 5 | 140 | March | 6.5 | 195 | April | 7 | 210 | May | 9 | 275 | June | 10 | 295 | July | 11 | 340 | August | 10.5 | 330 | September | 8 | 245 | October | 6.5 | 195 | November | 5 | 150 | December | 4.5 | 130 | Year | 7.3 | 2650 |
The
sea temperature ranges between 15 °C (59 °F) and 20 °C (68 °F). The Atlantic Ocean is a bit cold for swimming even in summer. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Alcobaça - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 15 | 59 | February | 14.5 | 58 | March | 14.5 | 58 | April | 15.5 | 60 | May | 16.5 | 62 | June | 18 | 65 | July | 19.5 | 67 | August | 20 | 68 | September | 19.5 | 67 | October | 19 | 66 | November | 17.5 | 64 | December | 16 | 61 | Year | 17.2 | 62.9 |
Best Time
The
best time to visit Alcobaça runs from June to September, since it is the warmest and the least rainy period of the year. July and August are the warmest months, but the heat is rarely excessive, and in addition, they are the driest. However, in September too, the rains are still quite rare. In May, you can go, but cool and rainy days are more frequent.
Even in summer, it's better to bring a sweatshirt, and maybe a light jacket for the evening.
To avoid very hot periods, which as we have said are rare but can occur, you can choose the periods from mid-April to mid-June and from mid-September to early October, even if the rains are more frequent.