Weather in the Azores in February
Averages, what the month actually feels like, and what is on while you are here.
February averages
| Measurement | Ponta Delgada, south coast | Ribeira Grande, north coast | Mount Pico summitModel grid cell at 1,758 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 16 °C | 15 °C | 8 °C |
| Average low | 13 °C | 13 °C | 2 °C |
| Daylight | 10.8 h | 10.8 h | 11.0 h |
| Sea temperature | 16 °C | – | – |
Temperature and daylight, averaged over the ten years from 2016 to 2025 and recomputed from the Open-Meteo archive rather than typed in by hand. The model works in cells roughly ten kilometres across, so each column describes an area rather than one thermometer. Checked against IPMA's Ponta Delgada normal, the temperatures land within about a degree and a half. Sea temperature averages the years 2022 to 2025. The marine record is shorter than the air record, so it rests on fewer years.
Rain in February
Ponta Delgada averages 83 mm of rain in February, on 7 days with a millimetre or more.
The high interior and the north-facing slopes are wetter than the coast in every month of the year, often several times over. IPMA publishes no station normal for the uplands or for the summit of Mount Pico, so this page puts no millimetre figure on them rather than one it cannot check.
Rainfall: the IPMA climate normal for the Ponta Delgada observatory (station 522, 58 m), averaged over the 30 years from 1981 to 2010. The ten-year reanalysis behind the table above is not used for rain. Its grid cell is about ten kilometres across and these islands are only a few cells wide, so it averages the coast with the slopes that climb behind it, where most of the rain falls. Measured against the station normal it runs well high in the summer months.
What February feels like
February is January with more daylight and a little more confidence. The south coast stays mild, the sea is at its coldest of the year, and between fronts the island gets long clear runs that suit walking.
What to pack
The same layers as January, plus something you do not mind getting wet. Most of what happens this month happens indoors, but the walk from the car to the door is often through rain.
What to do in February
On Terceira the parish halls fill with the danças de Entrudo, a night of satirical village theatre that runs into the small hours. Away from it the trails are quiet and the high paths are usually walkable between fronts.
Worth knowing before you book
The dances move with the church calendar, so check the dates before booking around them. The north coast can be wet for days on end while the south stays dry.
Quick answers
- How warm is it in the Azores in February?
- In Ponta Delgada an average February day reaches 16 °C and falls to 13 °C overnight. The summit of Mount Pico averages 8 °C in the same month, so the mountain needs its own layer.
- Does it rain in the Azores in February?
- Ponta Delgada records about 83 mm across February, on 7 days with a millimetre or more of rain. The north coast and the mountains take several times as much in the same weeks, which is why the two halves of the island can look like different holidays.
- Can you swim in the sea in February?
- The sea averages 16 °C in February. The Azores sit in open ocean with no shallow shelf to warm the water, so it stays close to that figure all month.
- How long are the days in February?
- About 10.8 hours between sunrise and sunset, which sets how much of a long trilho you can fit in before dark.