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May is often the best-kept secret of the Madeira year. The Madeira average temperature May brings to Funchal is a high of 22.0 °C and a low of 16.2 °C, with only 27.2 mm of rain and about 209 hours of sunshine, by the IPMA normals for the Funchal Observatory. It is dry, bright and warm without the summer heat, and the Flower Festival fills the city.
May's long dry days suit a morning at sea or a day in the west.
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Air and rain in May
The temperature in madeira in may, at the Funchal Observatory, averages a high of 22.0 °C (71.6 °F) and a low of 16.2 °C (61.2 °F).
Rain falls to 27.2 mm, about 40% less than April's 45.2 mm, and sunshine reaches about 209 hours, more than April or June. Nights are warmer too, up more than a degree on April.
The IPMA forecast is still useful before a day in the mountains.
Against April, May is a degree warmer by day and 1.3 degrees warmer at night, with 18.0 mm less rain and about 14 more hours of sun. Against June, it is 1.7 degrees cooler by day, with more rain but more sunshine.
May against the months either side
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rainfall | Sunshine | Sea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 21.0 °C | 14.9 °C | 45.2 mm | 195 h | 17.8 °C |
| May | 22.0 °C | 16.2 °C | 27.2 mm | 209 h | 18.6 °C |
| June | 23.7 °C | 18.2 °C | 7.8 mm | 194 h | 20.1 °C |
- Average high
- 21.0 °C
- Average low
- 14.9 °C
- Rainfall
- 45.2 mm
- Sunshine
- 195 h
- Sea
- 17.8 °C
- Average high
- 22.0 °C
- Average low
- 16.2 °C
- Rainfall
- 27.2 mm
- Sunshine
- 209 h
- Sea
- 18.6 °C
- Average high
- 23.7 °C
- Average low
- 18.2 °C
- Rainfall
- 7.8 mm
- Sunshine
- 194 h
- Sea
- 20.1 °C
The sea, the festival and what to pack
The madeira sea temperature may normal at the Pontinha pier in Funchal is about 18.6 °C; May 2026 measured the same. It is fresh, and it warms quickly from June.
For a madeira weather may average temperature rainfall summary in the mountains: at Queimadas, above Santana, the normals give a high of 15.2 °C and 100.0 mm of rain, the driest the north side has been since the autumn.
The Flower Festival runs to 30 May in 2027, and from 4 to 28 May in 2028, with its flower parades through downtown Funchal and the Madeira Flower Classic Auto Parade at the end of the month.
Pack summer clothes, a light layer for the evenings and the heights, and sun protection. Compare April, June and the whole year on the Funchal weather page.
Planning a May stay
May suits almost every kind of trip: walkers get dry trails and long days, garden visitors get the flowers, and the city is full of the Flower Festival. It is not yet hot, so the steep streets and the climbs are comfortable. The sea is the one thing still waiting for summer; by June it has warmed by about a degree and a half. For a trip that mixes the coast and the mountains, May gives the best of both, with the dry spell making mountain drives and sunrise trips more reliable than in the winter months.
In May the city is full of activity for the annual Flower Festival.Common questions
Is May a good time to visit Madeira?
The weather is dry and mild: Funchal averages 22.0 °C by day and only 27.2 mm of rain.
How warm is the sea in May?
About 18.6 °C at Funchal, the normal for the month.
What is on in May?
The Flower Festival, with parades through Funchal; to 30 May in 2027.