Weather in the Azores in October
Averages, what the month actually feels like, and what is on while you are here.
October averages
| Measurement | Ponta Delgada, south coast | Ribeira Grande, north coast | Mount Pico summitModel grid cell at 1,758 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 21 °C | 21 °C | 13 °C |
| Average low | 17 °C | 18 °C | 7 °C |
| Daylight | 11.2 h | 11.2 h | 11.4 h |
| Sea temperature | 21 °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 October
Ponta Delgada averages 90 mm of rain in October, 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 October feels like
October is mild and increasingly changeable. The sea holds its summer warmth well into the month while the sky starts doing considerably more.
What to pack
Layers again, a waterproof shell, and swimwear that will still get used. Walking shoes with grip, because wet basalt is slick.
What to do in October
Swimming and walking both still work, and the low light is good for photography. The whale watching season winds down, and the crater lakes are at their best between showers.
Worth knowing before you book
Heavy rain days become normal and trails can close at short notice. Wind picks up, and the inter-island flights start to be cancelled or diverted.
Quick answers
- How warm is it in the Azores in October?
- In Ponta Delgada an average October day reaches 21 °C and falls to 17 °C overnight. The summit of Mount Pico averages 13 °C in the same month, so the mountain needs its own layer.
- Does it rain in the Azores in October?
- Ponta Delgada records about 90 mm across October, 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 October?
- The sea averages 21 °C in October. 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 October?
- About 11.2 hours between sunrise and sunset, which sets how much of a long trilho you can fit in before dark.