page_title: Algarve
section_title: Climate
hierarchical_section_title: Algarve / Geography / Climate
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Die Algarveküste, gesehen aus einem Flugzeug in ca. 10000 Metern Höhe. English: The Algarve coast, seen from a height of 10,000 metres (33,000&#160;ft) above sea level.
context_page_description: The Algarve is the southernmost region of continental Portugal. It has an area of 4,997 km² with 451,006 permanent inhabitants, and incorporates 16 municipalities.
  The region has its administrative centre in the city of Faro, where both the region's international airport and public university, the University of Algarve, are located. The region coincides with Faro District. Tourism and related activities are extensive and make up the bulk of the Algarve's summer economy. Production of food, which includes fish and other seafood, different types of fruit such as oranges, figs, plums, carob beans, and almonds, are also economically important in the region.
  Although Lisbon surpasses the Algarve in terms of tourism revenue, the Algarve is still, overall, considered to be the biggest and most important Portuguese tourist region, having received an estimated total of 7.1 million tourists in 2017. Its population triples in the peak holiday season due to seasonal residents.
context_section_description: The maximum recorded temperatures in the Algarve fluctuate between 25 °C (77 °F) in winter and over 40 C in summer, with the temperature rarely falling below freezing in the winter. The winter of 2008–09 was exceptionally cold and wet, with below-freezing temperatures (sub-0 °C (32 °F)) recorded in coastal areas for the first time in many years.
  Generally, winter sees only subtle differences in daily maxima along the coastal Algarve, Tavira in the Eastern Algarve may see 16–17 °C (61–63 °F), Faro and Quarteira in the central Algarve broadly similar values, whist Sagres and the peninsula in the extreme west experiences more frontal activity off storms in the Atlantic and generally 15 °C (59 °F) is the maximum daytime temperature. Conversely, overnight lows are higher in Sagres, at 9 °C (48 °F), whilst to the East 7–8 °C (45–46 °F) is more common.
  Summer sees the highest average coastal temperatures in Faro and most points east, maxima around 29–30 °C (84–86 °F), whilst points west of Faro to about Lagos are in the range 27–29 °C (81–84 °F). The peninsula and Sagres see the coolest of the summer temperatures, being prone to the cooler North Westerly winds that topple round the Azores high so here we see 24–26 °C (75–79 °F) more typically. Overnight lows are in the region of 17–19 °C (63–66 °F) the higher values in Faro and to the east. 
  Year to year, there can be considerable differences in the sea surface temperatures off the Algarve during the summer/early Autumn. In recent years, the sea temperatures have struggled to exceed 18–19 °C (64–66 °F) till later in August, then weather conditions have encouraged a warm outflow from the Mediterranean, temporarily bathing the Algarve in warm surface water and sea temperatures can rise, very rapidly over a week or so, to 25 °C (77 °F) and only slowly drop away during October. This warm plume of water can add some noticeable humidity to an otherwise very comfortable summer feel, temperature-wise. 
  Inland Algarve sees higher daytime temperatures than the coast, typically 31–33 °C (88–91 °F) whilst overnight temperatures drop away to 16–18 °C (61–64 °F). Heatwaves can occasionally push the mercury to 45 °C (113 °F) and at this intensity, overnight lows can remain uncomfortably high at over 25 °C (77 °F).
caption: Aerial view of Cape St. Vincent, the southwestern edge of the Algarve coast
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "Algarve coast from 10.000m hight", "Image Make": "SAMSUNG", "Image Model": "GT-I9100", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2012:04:30 18:28:47", "Image Artist": "Heinrich Pniok", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image Copyright": "b'\\xa9 Heinrich Pniok'", "Image ExifOffset": "316", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "784", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3438", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/1193", "EXIF FNumber": "53/20", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "32", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2012:04:30 18:28:47", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2012:04:30 18:28:47", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "511/50", "EXIF ApertureValue": "281/100", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "242/25", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "281/100", "EXIF MeteringMode": "CenterWeightedAverage", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "397/100", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2400", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2637", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "OMEF01"}