North Portugal Tourism Guide - North Portugal Weather

Central & Northern Portugal Weather Summary

The climate in the north and central areas of Portugal are a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic climates. Being the most westerly country in Europe it receives more rain than you'd expect when you're sitting sweltering in the summer heat.

Between June and September everywhere in Portugal is pretty sunny and hot, consistently around the 30 degrees centigrade mark. In northern Portugal, the Upper Douro gets ridiculously hot where it can exceed 45 degrees centigrade in July and August. Sunscreen is an absolute must otherwise you'll be spending your holiday sore and blistered.

November through to March is when Portugal gets most of its rain. The central and northwest areas of the country, particularly near the coast, tend to be mild and there is a chance of rain in north Portugal throughout the year.

In both the centre of Portugal and the north are several mountain ranges. Obviously the higher you go the cooler it gets, even on summer's days, so you need to be prepared with a range of clothing in case of chill, rain or fog that can come in quite unexpectedly. In January and February there is a good covering of snow on the inland mountainous areas, particularly Serra da Estrela where they're able to support a small ski resort at Torre.

Other Weather Essentials

Late Spring is a good time to visit Portugal, particularly if you want to see the beautiful array of flowers in bloom; although February to March is when the almond blossom decorates the landscape.

Early Autumn is also a good time when it's still warm but it's not too hot which means the holiday hordes will have dissipated a little.

On the coast the official swimming season is June to mid-September. Outside of that beaches may not be patrolled with lifeguards. You need to take care when swimming in the sea as the west Atlantic Ocean has some strong undertows

Tras-os-Montes Weather

The Tras-os-Montes region, the north eastern part of Portugal, is renowned for its extremes in weather. The very northern part of the region is known as the Terra Fria (cold land) due to its long harsh winters where the extremes of the very cold winters contrast harshly with the short-lived peak summer temperatures. This has led to the local quip to describe the climate as "nine months of winter and three months of hell"!

The southern part of the Tras-os-Montes region is known as Terra Quente (hot land) and is much more Mediterranean in climate where they experience blisteringly hot summers and freezing cold winters, meaning a good time to visit is Spring or Autumn.

Minho Weather

The Minho region in the northwest of the country suffers from its Atlantic influences by being notoriously rainy. This does mean that a lot of the countryside is lush and green but you best take your anorak! The best time to visit is in the drier summer season which happily coincides with the area's lively festivals.