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The climate of Coimbra is
Mediterranean, with mild, relatively rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located in central-northern Portugal, about 40 km (25 mi) from the coast.
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 9.9 °C (49.8 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 22 °C (71.5 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Coimbra - Average temperatures (1981-2010) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 5 | 15 | 9.9 | 41 | 59 | 49.8 |
|---|
| February | 6 | 16 | 11 | 42 | 61 | 51.8 |
|---|
| March | 8 | 19 | 13.2 | 46 | 66 | 55.8 |
|---|
| April | 9 | 20 | 14.5 | 48 | 68 | 58.1 |
|---|
| May | 11 | 22 | 16.9 | 53 | 72 | 62.4 |
|---|
| June | 14 | 26 | 20.2 | 58 | 79 | 68.4 |
|---|
| July | 16 | 28 | 22 | 60 | 83 | 71.6 |
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| August | 15 | 29 | 21.9 | 59 | 84 | 71.4 |
|---|
| September | 14 | 27 | 20.7 | 57 | 81 | 69.3 |
|---|
| October | 12 | 23 | 17.2 | 53 | 73 | 63 |
|---|
| November | 9 | 18 | 13.3 | 47 | 64 | 55.9 |
|---|
| December | 6 | 15 | 11 | 44 | 60 | 51.7 |
|---|
| Year | 10.4 | 21.6 | 16 | 50.8 | 70.9 | 61 |
|---|
amounts to 905 millimeters (35.6 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 15 mm (0.6 in) in the driest months (July, August) to 125 mm (4.9 in) in the wettest (December). Here is the average precipitation.
Coimbra - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 110 | 4.3 | 12 |
|---|
| February | 105 | 4.1 | 11 |
|---|
| March | 65 | 2.6 | 8 |
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| April | 85 | 3.3 | 11 |
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| May | 80 | 3.1 | 10 |
|---|
| June | 40 | 1.6 | 5 |
|---|
| July | 15 | 0.6 | 2 |
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| August | 15 | 0.6 | 2 |
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| September | 50 | 2 | 5 |
|---|
| October | 105 | 4.1 | 10 |
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| November | 110 | 4.3 | 10 |
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| December | 125 | 4.9 | 12 |
|---|
| Year | 905 | 35.6 | 96 |
|---|
, 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 around 0 °C (32 °F). 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 Coimbra is very rare. The last snowfall of some importance occurred in February 1983. The lowest record is -4 °C (25 °F), recorded in February 1956 and in January 1976.
Summer, from June to mid-September, is hot and sunny, with very rare rains.
Given the short distance from the ocean, which remains cool even in summer, there can be quite cool periods, with highs of 20/22 °C (68/72 °F), especially in June and early July. However, from mid-June to early September, there can be very hot periods, in which the temperature reaches 38/40 °C (100/104 °F) or even more.
In June 1981, the temperature reached 42 °C (107.5 °F), while in August 2003 and in August 2018, it reached 41 °C (106 °F).
On average, there are around 2,800
sunshine hours per year: therefore, the amount of sunshine is very good. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Coimbra - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 4.5 | 145 | February | 5.5 | 150 | March | 6.5 | 210 | April | 7.5 | 230 | May | 9.5 | 290 | June | 10 | 305 | July | 11.5 | 355 | August | 11 | 345 | September | 8.5 | 255 | October | 6.5 | 210 | November | 5.5 | 160 | December | 4.5 | 145 | Year | 7.7 | 2795 |
Best Time
The
best times to visit Coimbra are spring and autumn, ie from mid-April to mid-June and from mid-September to early October. In summer, it is generally not too hot, but as we have said, there can be periods of scorching heat.