The numbers for May
Two stations, two periods, both named. Mixing them is how a levada walk goes wrong.
| Measure | Funchal | Areeiro |
|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum | 22.0 °C | 11.4 °C |
| Mean daily minimum | 16.2 °C | 5.0 °C |
| Precipitation | 27.2 mm | 116.6 mm |
| Days with 1 mm or more | 3.3 days | 10.6 days |
What the mountain is doing at the same time
In May Funchal reaches 22.0 °C by day. At Areeiro, on the central ridge, the same month averages 11.4 °C — a difference of 10.6 °C, and that is the daytime figure, not the night.
Rainfall separates them further: 27.2 mm in Funchal against 116.6 mm at Areeiro, 4.3 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 19.6 °C off Funchal in May 2011. That is one observed year, not a normal — it corroborates the shape of the curve and nothing more.
What’s on in May
Flower Festival
A month of floral displays across Funchal, built around the Wall of Hope and two parades. Hotels fill for the parade weekends specifically.
What May is actually like
May is where the numbers start behaving: 27.2 mm over 3.3 days, 182.9 hours of sun, 22.0 °C by day. The mountain roughly halves its rainfall from April, 116.6 mm against 211.6 mm, and the gap between coast and ridge narrows to 10.6 °C — still enough to need a jacket at the top.
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.