Graciosa weather day to day: where to check the forecast, how the warnings work, and how to plan each day

Graciosa is the flattest island in the Azores. Its highest point is 405 metres, on the rim of the Caldeira, so it does not have the cloud-capped plateau that rules a day on Flores or Faial. What changes your plans here is the wind and the sea: which coast is calm enough to swim from, whether your flight leaves on time, and in summer whether the ferry sails. This guide covers where to read the forecast, what the warnings mean for Graciosa, and how to choose each evening what to do the next day.

For the averages month by month, see the best time to visit Graciosa. For flights and opening days between November and March, see Graciosa in winter.

The official source is IPMA, the Portuguese weather and sea institute, at ipma.pt. It publishes one forecast for the island, for Santa Cruz da Graciosa. In November 2026 it ran five days ahead, giving each day's lowest and highest temperature, the chance of rain, the wind direction and a wind-strength class. On 4 November 2026, for example, it showed 16 to 21 °C and a 90% chance of rain with a south-easterly wind, and the wind went round to the west, south and north over the following four days, so read it again every evening rather than planning the week from the first look.

IPMA's sea forecast for the Azores covers just three points: off Ponta Delgada, Horta and Santa Cruz das Flores. None of them is on Graciosa. The point off Horta, on Faial, is the nearest in the central group, and it gives a rough idea of wave height and water temperature, but it does not tell you which side of Graciosa is calm. For that, use the wind direction.

IPMA issues warnings for the Azores by island group. Graciosa is in the central group, with Terceira, São Jorge, Pico and Faial, so a warning for that area may be driven by weather that hits Faial or Terceira harder than Graciosa. There are eight types of warning: rough sea, fog, heat, cold, rain, snow, thunderstorms and wind. Each one has a colour. IPMA defines them like this:

• Green: no hazardous weather foreseen.
• Yellow: weather-sensitive activities may be affected, so keep an eye on how things develop.
• Orange: moderate to high risk. Stay informed and follow the civil protection authorities.
• Red: high risk, with the same advice.

The warning list looks about three days ahead. On 4 November 2026 it held a yellow warning for rain, at times heavy and possibly with thunder, from that afternoon into the next morning, and everything else was green. A day like that is a museum day in Santa Cruz, or a drive with stops at the viewpoints between showers.

The warning to take seriously is rough sea. In January 2026, when depression Joseph passed, IPMA put the whole central group, Graciosa included, under a red warning for rough sea from 03:00 to 20:00 on a Tuesday. It forecast north-westerly waves of around 10 metres and single waves of up to 19 metres. The maritime authority told people to stay away from the shore, the beaches and the cliff edges. On a day like that, keep off the harbour walls and the coastal paths. The regional civil protection service also posts warnings and information notes at prociv.azores.gov.pt.

No part of Graciosa is more than a short drive from any other, so changing coast is the easiest way to use a forecast. Look at the wind direction, then pick the side of the island that has its back to it.

• North coast (Santa Cruz, Barro Vermelho): the Calheta pool below Santa Cruz is built into the rock shelf, and at Barro Vermelho a basalt reef closes off a shallow pebble lagoon. Beyond the reef is open sea. Both face north, so a northerly or north-westerly swell reaches them first. Barro Vermelho is at its best on a falling tide on a calm day.
• East coast (Praia): Praia de São Mateus is the island's only real sand beach, in front of the village of Praia. It is out of a westerly wind but open to anything from the east.
• South coast (Carapacho, Folga): the pools at Carapacho sit in the black rock below the Caldeira and face south, so they are often the calmer choice when the weather comes from the north. The Baía da Folga, a small harbour with a slipway and no lifeguard, is reached on foot by PR03GRA, an easy 2.1 km walk from the square in Luz. In a southerly, both of these take the sea head-on and the north coast is the better bet.

Lifeguards work only in the summer season. Out of season, the sea state is your call, and on a yellow or worse rough-sea warning nobody should be in the water at any of these places.

The Caldeira is low by Azorean standards: 1.6 km across and 402 metres deep, according to the official trail sheet. The circular trail round it and into it, PRC2GRA, is graded easy, 10.8 km and about three hours, and the sheet points out that the visitor centre's opening hours may decide which way round you walk.

The weather counts more for the Furna do Enxofre, the cave inside the Caldeira, which you reach down the 183 steps of a 1939 tower. From 1 November the visitor centre opens Tuesday to Saturday, 09:00 to 17:00, and it can close for bad weather. The cave also has a field of volcanic gas, and the centre shows the gas readings from inside. In July 2007 it was closed when carbon dioxide built up in still air, and reopening had to wait for a change in the weather. If you are driving up for the cave, phone +351 295 714 009 before you drive up. The Furna do Enxofre guide has the details.

The evening before, also check these.

• Trails: the alerts page on trails.visitazores.com lists trails that are temporarily closed and those open but under maintenance. On 4 November 2026 it listed closures on five other islands and none on Graciosa. The walking guide has the routes.
• Flights: the island is served by SATA Air Açores, and the group's site has a flight status page. Between May 2025 and April 2026 SATA Air Açores cancelled 1,351 flights, 57% of them directly because of the weather. If a storm is forecast, wait for the airline to act. SATA's own rules say that a change you make yourself, when the flight is not cancelled, gives you no right to assistance or compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.
• The ferry: Atlânticoline sails to Graciosa only in summer. In 2026 that was between 1 June and 28 September. In that season it posts cancellations and changes on its releases page, often the day before or the same day. From October to May the plane is the only way on or off, which is why a spare day before any long-haul connection is worth having.

• Read the IPMA forecast for Santa Cruz da Graciosa and the warnings for the central group.
• Note the wind direction, and pick the coast with its back to it for any swimming.
• Check the trail alerts if you plan to walk, and phone the Furna do Enxofre if the cave is on tomorrow's list.
• Check the flight status, and in summer the Atlânticoline releases, the day before you leave.
• Keep a plan B for rain: the museum in Santa Cruz, a drive between the windmills, or a long lunch in Praia.

Where can I get an official forecast for Graciosa? On ipma.pt, the Portuguese weather institute. It publishes a five-day forecast for Santa Cruz da Graciosa and warnings for the central group, which Graciosa shares with Terceira, São Jorge, Pico and Faial.

Is there a sea forecast for Graciosa? Not a dedicated one. IPMA's nearest sea point in the central group is off Horta, on Faial. Use it for a rough idea of wave height, and use the wind direction to choose a coast.

What does a yellow warning mean on Graciosa? That weather-sensitive activities may be affected. Orange means moderate to high risk and red means high risk. With either, follow the civil protection advice and keep off exposed coast.

Does bad weather close the Furna do Enxofre? It can. The visitor centre may close in bad weather, and the cave has been closed in the past when volcanic gas built up. In winter it is also shut on Sundays and Mondays, so phone first.