Portugal Climate
Top 5 Cities: Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Coimbra, and Funchal
This month in numbers
Portugal experienced a significantly warmer April, with an average temperature of 14.48°C, marking an anomaly of +1.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranks as the 19th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was also notably warm for Portugal, ranking as the 16th warmest such period on record with an anomaly of +1.3°C.
What changed
The warmer trend in Portugal aligns with the broader European picture, where the continent saw a 1-month anomaly of +2.48°C. Portugal's April anomaly was 0.62°C cooler than the European average for the month. The country's 2025 annual average temperature of 16.17°C was the 4th warmest in 85 years of records, continuing a long-term warming trend of +1.23°C above the 1961–1990 baseline.
What’s driving change?
The early months of 2026 saw Portugal grappling with a series of severe storms, including Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta, which brought intense rainfall and widespread flooding across the Iberian Peninsula in late January and early February. These events led to a state of calamity in 69 municipalities and caused significant damage and displacement. The floods were linked to broader atmospheric processes, with the weakening El Niño phase contributing to atmospheric instability and intense rainfall events. While the current ENSO state is Neutral, with an anomaly of +0.11°C, the forecast indicates a likely transition to El Niño by May–July, with an 61% probability. Historically, El Niño phases during summer (June-August) typically bring warmer, drier conditions to the Mediterranean, increasing the risk of heatwaves and wildfires in the Iberian Peninsula ENSO tracker.
Despite the heavy rainfall earlier in the year, the Algarve region continues to experience moderate drought conditions, with concerns about water consumption heading into the summer months. Furthermore, Portugal is anticipating a challenging wildfire season, with the area burned by wildfires between January 1 and April 15, 2026, more than doubling compared to the same period in 2025. Authorities attribute this to a combination of intense winter storms leading to fallen trees and increased vegetation growth, creating more combustible material.
Looking ahead
The evolving El Niño phase suggests a heightened risk of warmer and drier conditions for Portugal in the coming months, potentially exacerbating wildfire and drought concerns.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Portugal
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Portugal changing?
Portugal is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Portugal come from?
Climate data for Portugal comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Portugal climate data cover?
The Portugal climate profile covers Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Coimbra and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Portugal
How often is the Portugal climate update refreshed?
The Portugal climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.