Portugal Climate
Top 5 Cities: Lisbon, Porto, Braga, Coimbra, and Funchal
This month in numbers
Portugal experienced a significantly warmer April, with the average temperature reaching 14.48°C, an anomaly of +1.9°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranked 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 also saw Portugal's average temperature at 12.23°C, ranking as the 16th warmest such period on record, with an anomaly of +1.3°C.
What changed
The warmer trend observed in April follows a generally mild winter, with February and January also recording temperatures above their historical averages. This regional warming aligns with the global picture, as global land temperatures for the February–April period were the 2nd warmest on record. Portugal's 1-month anomaly for April placed it 103rd out of 234 regions globally, indicating widespread warmth. However, the country's 3-month anomaly placed it 161st globally, suggesting that while warmer, Portugal was not among the most extreme warming regions over the longer period.
What’s driving change?
The warming trend in Portugal is influenced by broader atmospheric patterns. While the current ENSO state is Neutral, with a strong forecast for El Niño developing in the coming months, its direct influence on the recent warming in Portugal is likely muted for this period. However, a series of intense Atlantic winter storms, including Kristin, Leonardo, and Marta, swept across Portugal from late January into February, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and even fatalities. These storms also led to an increase in vegetation growth and fallen trees, which, as they dry, contribute to a heightened wildfire risk. Indeed, the area burned by wildfires in Portugal more than doubled between January 1 and April 15, 2026, compared to the same period in 2025, raising significant concerns ahead of the summer fire season.
Looking ahead
The forecast indicates a strong likelihood of El Niño developing from May to July, with probabilities rising to 98% by August to October, which typically brings warmer and drier conditions to the Mediterranean region, amplifying the risk of heatwaves and wildfires for Portugal.
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.