Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
The climate of Portalegre is
Mediterranean, with quite mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
The city is located in the east of Portugal, near the border with Spain, in the Alto Alentejo, at an altitude between 400 and 600 meters (1,300 and 2,000 ft).
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of 8.6 °C (47 °F), that of the warmest month (July) is of 23.6 °C (74 °F). Here are the average temperatures (the weather station is located at 590 meters or 1,935 feet).
Portalegre - Average temperatures| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 6 | 11 | 8.6 | 42 | 53 | 47.4 |
|---|
| February | 6 | 13 | 9.4 | 43 | 55 | 48.9 |
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| March | 8 | 15 | 11.5 | 46 | 60 | 52.7 |
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| April | 8 | 16 | 12.4 | 47 | 62 | 54.2 |
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| May | 11 | 20 | 15.3 | 51 | 68 | 59.5 |
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| June | 14 | 25 | 19.9 | 58 | 78 | 67.8 |
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| July | 17 | 30 | 23.6 | 63 | 86 | 74.4 |
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| August | 17 | 30 | 23.4 | 63 | 85 | 74.2 |
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| September | 16 | 26 | 21.2 | 61 | 79 | 70.1 |
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| October | 12 | 20 | 16.2 | 54 | 68 | 61.2 |
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| November | 9 | 15 | 12 | 48 | 59 | 53.7 |
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| December | 7 | 12 | 9.5 | 44 | 54 | 49.1 |
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| Year | 11 | 19.6 | 15.25 | 51.8 | 67.2 | 59.5 |
|---|
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. Sometimes it can even snow, especially in the upper part of the city.
The coldest record is -5 °C (23 °F), recorded in December 1962. In February 1956 and January 1987, the temperature reached -4.5 °C (24 °F).
Summer, from June to mid-September, is hot and sunny, with very rare rains.
The average temperature is the result of different situations. 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 42 °C (107.5 °F) in August 2018, and 41 °C (106 °F) in August 2003 and September 2016.
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Precipitation amounts to 850 millimeters (33.5 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 135 mm (5.3 in) in the wettest (December). Here is the average precipitation.
Portalegre - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 110 | 4.3 | 10 |
|---|
| February | 95 | 3.7 | 10 |
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| March | 65 | 2.6 | 7 |
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| April | 80 | 3.1 | 9 |
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| May | 70 | 2.8 | 8 |
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| June | 30 | 1.2 | 4 |
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| July | 10 | 0.4 | 1 |
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| August | 10 | 0.4 | 1 |
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| September | 40 | 1.6 | 4 |
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| October | 100 | 3.9 | 9 |
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| November | 115 | 4.5 | 9 |
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| December | 135 | 5.3 | 11 |
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| Year | 850 | 33.5 | 84 |
|---|
On average, there are around 2,920
sunshine hours per year: therefore, the amount of sunshine is very good. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Portalegre - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 5 | 155 | February | 5.5 | 160 | March | 7 | 210 | April | 7.5 | 225 | May | 9.5 | 300 | June | 10.5 | 320 | July | 12.5 | 380 | August | 12 | 365 | September | 8.5 | 260 | October | 7 | 215 | November | 5.5 | 170 | December | 5 | 160 | Year | 8 | 2920 |
Best Time
The
best times to visit Portalegre 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.