Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Castelo Branco is
Mediterranean, with mild, relatively rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located in the central part of Portugal, in the east, near the border with Spain, at an altitude of 385 meters (1,250 ft).
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 8.4 °C (47 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 25 °C (77 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Castelo Branco - Average temperatures| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 4 | 12 | 8.4 | 40 | 54 | 47.1 |
|---|
| February | 6 | 15 | 10.2 | 42 | 58 | 50.4 |
|---|
| March | 8 | 18 | 12.8 | 46 | 64 | 55 |
|---|
| April | 9 | 19 | 14 | 48 | 67 | 57.3 |
|---|
| May | 11 | 23 | 17.1 | 52 | 73 | 62.8 |
|---|
| June | 15 | 29 | 22.2 | 60 | 84 | 71.9 |
|---|
| July | 17 | 32 | 24.6 | 63 | 90 | 76.3 |
|---|
| August | 18 | 32 | 25 | 64 | 90 | 77 |
|---|
| September | 16 | 28 | 21.7 | 60 | 82 | 71.1 |
|---|
| October | 12 | 22 | 16.7 | 53 | 71 | 62.1 |
|---|
| November | 8 | 16 | 11.6 | 46 | 60 | 52.9 |
|---|
| December | 5 | 12 | 8.8 | 41 | 54 | 47.8 |
|---|
| Year | 10.7 | 21.5 | 16.1 | 51.3 | 70.8 | 61 |
|---|
amounts to 760 millimeters (29.9 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.
Castelo Branco - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 110 | 4.3 | 8 |
|---|
| February | 60 | 2.4 | 6 |
|---|
| March | 35 | 1.4 | 4 |
|---|
| April | 60 | 2.4 | 8 |
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| May | 65 | 2.6 | 7 |
|---|
| June | 25 | 1 | 3 |
|---|
| July | 10 | 0.4 | 1 |
|---|
| August | 10 | 0.4 | 1 |
|---|
| September | 35 | 1.4 | 5 |
|---|
| October | 105 | 4.1 | 8 |
|---|
| November | 120 | 4.7 | 9 |
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| December | 130 | 5.1 | 10 |
|---|
| Year | 760 | 29.9 | 70 |
|---|
The
winter, from December to February, is quite mild.
There are sunny periods that alternate with periods of bad weather.
Sometimes fog can form.
However, given the altitude and the distance from the sea, there may also be some cold periods, with highs of 7/8 °C (45/46 °F) or lower.
Snow in Castelo Branco is very rare. Snowfalls occurred in February 1983 and January 2010.
The coldest record is -5 °C (23 °F), recorded in March 2005.
Summer, from June to mid-September, is hot and sunny, with very rare rains. We are in the hot zone of Portugal, the eastern one, which receives the least influence from the ocean.
Rarely, there may be cool periods, in which the night temperature can drop to 10 °C (50 °F) or even below. However, from mid-June to early September, there can be very hot periods, in which the temperature reaches 38/40 °C (100/104 °F).
The temperature reached 43.5 °C (110.5 °F) in August 2018, and 41.5 °C (106.5 °F) in August 2003, in September 2016 and in June 2017. In July 2020, the average maximum was 35.9 °C (96.6 °F).
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On average, there are around 2,890
sunshine hours per year: therefore, the amount of sunshine is very good. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Castelo Branco - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 5 | 150 | February | 5.5 | 160 | March | 7 | 215 | April | 7.5 | 230 | May | 9.5 | 300 | June | 10.5 | 320 | July | 12 | 380 | August | 11.5 | 360 | September | 8.5 | 260 | October | 7 | 215 | November | 5.5 | 160 | December | 5 | 150 | Year | 7.9 | 2890 |
Best Time
The
best times to visit Castelo Branco are spring and autumn, ie from mid-April to mid-June and from mid-September to early October. In summer, as we have said, there can be periods of scorching heat.