Portugal - weather in January

In January, the central month of winter, the weather in Portugal is usually mild and rainy in the northwest, where the climate is subtropical oceanic, it is moderately cold in the northeast, where the climate is semi-continental, while it is mild and relatively rainy in the center-south, which has a Mediterranean climate.
In the mountains of the center-north, and in particular in the Serra da Estrela, there is instead a cold mountain climate.

January in Portugal is the coldest month of the year. On the coast, the average daily temperature is 10 °C (50 °F) in Porto, in the north, 12 °C (53.5 °F) in Lisbon, in the center-south, and 12.5 °C (54.5 °F) in Faro, on the southern coast (Algarve).

Precipitation is frequent and abundant in the northwest, where it reaches up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) in the course of the month, while it gradually decreases as you go south.
In the mountains, precipitation can occur in the form of snow. There is also a small area in the Serra da Estrela where it is possible to ski.

The wind blows often, and at times, especially in the north, it can be strong.

However, the Azores anticyclone can bring periods of good weather even in winter, more likely in the center-south.

In fact, in the south there is a good amount of sunshine (on average, 5 hours a day or more).

Portugal is fairly sheltered from cold waves, however, when cold air arrives from the North Atlantic, and more rarely from Eastern Europe, there can be somewhat cold periods, during which it can snow in the inland areas of the northeast, at hill altitudes (see Bragança). In Lisbon and on the southern coast the temperature never drops below freezing, while it can drop to 0 °C (32 °F) or a little below in Porto and on the northern coast.

The days are still among the shortest of the year, however, their length gradually increases during the month. In January, the average day in Portugal is 9 and a half hours long in the north and 10 hours in the south.

The following tables show the climate averages in the month of January in Portugal in a selection of locations.

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Monthly climate averages - January

(from north to south)























See also: Portugal, the weather in December - February
The climate of Portugal