The numbers for June
Two stations, two periods, both named. Mixing them is how a levada walk goes wrong.
| Measure | Funchal | Areeiro |
|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum | 23.7 °C | 14.5 °C |
| Mean daily minimum | 18.2 °C | 7.6 °C |
| Precipitation | 7.8 mm | 69.9 mm |
| Days with 1 mm or more | 1.0 days | 6.8 days |
What the mountain is doing at the same time
In June Funchal reaches 23.7 °C by day. At Areeiro, on the central ridge, the same month averages 14.5 °C — a difference of 9.2 °C, and that is the daytime figure, not the night.
Rainfall separates them further: 7.8 mm in Funchal against 69.9 mm at Areeiro, 9.0 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 20.9 °C off Funchal in June 2011. That is one observed year, not a normal — it corroborates the shape of the curve and nothing more.
What’s on in June
Atlantic Festival
The international fireworks competition, fired over Funchal bay on consecutive Saturday nights, with a music programme through the month.
What June is actually like
June brings 7.8 mm across a single rain day, the point at which rain stops being something Funchal asks you to plan around. Sunshine dips to 150.6 hours all the same, which is low cloud rather than rain. Areeiro reaches 14.5 °C by day: walkable, and still nine degrees below the city.
Three things worth checking before you book
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.