Climate comparison

Colors of the following climate diagrams:
Canary Islands
Madeira

Daily maximum temperatures

The highest daytime temperatures on the Canary Islands are reached in August with an average of 28.0 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, with an average of just 20.6 °C. In Madeira, August is the warmest month, with 26.5 °C. There, it is coolest in February with an average of 19.3 °C.

Night time lows

At night, it cools down to varying degrees depending on the country and altitude. On the Canary Islands, temperatures drop as low as 14.6 °C in February. The warmest nights are in August at 21.5 °C. In Madeira, it is coolest at night in February at 13.8 °C and warmest in August at 20.7 °C. This corresponds to a cooling of 5.6 to 6.6 °C on the Canary Islands and 5.1 to 5.9 °C in Madeira.

Water temperatures

Humidity

The humidity of the air depends to a large extent on the air temperature. The warmer the air, the more water it can absorb. At a temperature of 25°C it is 23 grams per cubic meter, at 30 degrees it is already 26 grams. Therefore, the air humidity is given as a relative value to the temperature-dependent maximum amount. It becomes unpleasant when high humidity is combined with high temperatures.

Humidex

Humidex is an approximate, sensed temperature calculated on the basis of air temperature, dew point and humidity. It was developed in 1965 by the Canadian meteorologists J. M. Masterton and F. A. Richardson. Since the wind speed is ignored here, it is not very meaningful in areas below approx. 15°C. Above that, it is more reliable, since at higher temperatures humidity plays a greater role than wind.

Rain days per month

By definition, a rain day is a day on which at least 0.1 liters of precipitation per m² fall. This corresponds to a 1 square meter puddle in which the water stands 0.1 mm high — insofar as the water does not seep away or evaporate. So it does not have to rain all day long. November brings the most rainy days (4.6) on the Canary Islands. With an average of only 0.2 days, July is the friendliest. In Madeira, it rains most often in November with 8.5 days.

Precipitation amount per day

Depending on the season and the location of a country, the wind brings a varying amount of water with it. As a rule, the water evaporating in the oceans is absorbed and then transported inland. The greatest amount of rain (hail or dew are also forms of precipitation) on the Canary Islands occurs in February, when about 1.4 liters per square meter fall per day. In Madeira, the average amount of precipitation ranges from 0.1 liters per day in July to 2.7 in November. However, these are average values. If you consider that there are only 8.5 rainy days in Madeira in November, each of them accounts for about 9.5 liters.

Sunshine hours per day

With 2,665 hours of sunshine per year, the Canary Islands are in the lead. The most hours of sunshine (9.3 per day) are in July. Madeira falls into second place with only 2,373 hours. There the sun is visible in December for only 4.7 hours per day, so not hidden behind clouds.

Hours of daylight

The length of a day varies throughout the year and depends on the distance from the equator. In December, the day on the Canary Islands is only 10.4 hours long. In June, on the other hand, it is 14.0 hours. In Madeira, it is 10.1 hours in December and 14.3 in June.