The numbers for December
Two stations, two periods, both named. Mixing them is how a levada walk goes wrong.
| Measure | Funchal | Areeiro |
|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum | 21.0 °C | 8.5 °C |
| Mean daily minimum | 15.5 °C | 3.5 °C |
| Precipitation | 94.8 mm | 447.7 mm |
| Days with 1 mm or more | 8.6 days | 19.9 days |
What the mountain is doing at the same time
In December Funchal reaches 21.0 °C by day. At Areeiro, on the central ridge, the same month averages 8.5 °C — a difference of 12.5 °C, and that is the daytime figure, not the night.
Rainfall separates them further: 94.8 mm in Funchal against 447.7 mm at Areeiro, 4.7 times as much.
People plan levada walks off the Funchal forecast. That is the mistake this section exists to prevent — the two stations are 25 km and 1500 m apart, and they are not describing the same day.
The sea
Off Funchal the monthly mean runs between 17.8 °C in March and 23.3 °C in September, averaging 20.2 °C over the year. IPMA has never printed a sea-temperature normal, so this is the closest honest figure there is.
IPMA measured 20.1 °C off Funchal in December 2011. That is one observed year, not a normal — it corroborates the shape of the curve and nothing more.
What’s on in December
Funchal illuminations
The city lighting runs from the first of December into January, which is why the January nights look busier than the January weather suggests.
New Year’s Eve fireworks
Fired from the hillsides around the bay at midnight. The single busiest night of the Madeiran year, and accommodation is priced accordingly.
What December is actually like
December is Funchal’s wettest month at 94.8 mm, spread over 8.6 rain days, and it is still 21.0 °C by day — the same daytime mean as April. Sunshine is at its annual low of 134.4 hours. Areeiro takes 447.7 mm and drops to 8.5 °C, and the city lighting runs from the first of the month.
Three things worth checking before you book
“Madeira has no winter” is true at sea level and only there. Funchal records 0.0 days below 0 °C in every month of its normals. Areeiro’s February normal carries 3 nights below freezing, and that is the ground the levada walks cross.
The north really is wetter, by more than the guides say. Annual precipitation in the 1971–2000 normals: Funchal 596 mm, Santana on the north coast 1383 mm, Areeiro on the ridge 2620 mm.