Last updated: July 31, 2025
Under the Köppen–Geiger climate classification Santa Cruz features a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb). Temperatures typically range between 5 °C (42 °F) and 21 °C (69 °F) through the year, but rarely can drop to -5 °C (22 °F) or can rise to as high as 37 °C (99 °F). The average annual precipitation amounts to about 727 mm (28.6 inches) and receives 94 rainy days on the 1 mm (0.04 inches) threshold annually. Santa Cruz enjoys an average of 3573 hours of sunshine throughout the year, and daylight varies from 9 hours 11 minutes to 15 hours 8 minutes per day.
The warmest months in Santa Cruz are July, August and September, with daily mean temperatures ranging from 18 to 21 °C (65 - 69 °F) throughout the day. The coldest temperatures usually occur in January, February and December, when daily mean temperatures range from 5 to 8 °C (42 - 46 °F) throughout the day. On average each year, Santa Cruz experiences 70 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 21 days below 0 °C (32.0 °F).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum | 16°C (62°F) | 20°C (68°F) | 23°C (73°F) | 25°C (77°F) | 31°C (88°F) | 35°C (95°F) | 34°C (93°F) | 37°C (99°F) | 32°C (89°F) | 29°C (84°F) | 18°C (65°F) | 16°C (61°F) |
| Mean maximum | 14°C (58°F) | 18°C (64°F) | 20°C (68°F) | 24°C (75°F) | 28°C (83°F) | 30°C (87°F) | 32°C (91°F) | 34°C (94°F) | 30°C (87°F) | 26°C (79°F) | 18°C (64°F) | 14°C (58°F) |
| Average high | 10°C (50°F) | 12°C (55°F) | 14°C (57°F) | 16°C (61°F) | 21°C (70°F) | 23°C (74°F) | 27°C (81°F) | 27°C (82°F) | 24°C (76°F) | 19°C (67°F) | 13°C (55°F) | 11°C (51°F) |
| Daily mean | 5°C (42°F) | 8°C (46°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 11°C (52°F) | 15°C (59°F) | 18°C (64°F) | 21°C (69°F) | 20°C (69°F) | 18°C (65°F) | 14°C (57°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 7°C (45°F) |
| Average low | 2°C (36°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 4°C (40°F) | 6°C (44°F) | 9°C (49°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 14°C (58°F) | 14°C (57°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 9°C (49°F) | 5°C (42°F) | 4°C (40°F) |
| Mean minimum | -3°C (26°F) | -2°C (28°F) | -1°C (31°F) | 0°C (33°F) | 3°C (38°F) | 7°C (45°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 8°C (46°F) | 7°C (45°F) | 3°C (37°F) | 0°C (33°F) | -1°C (31°F) |
| Minimum | -5°C (22°F) | -4°C (25°F) | -3°C (28°F) | -2°C (29°F) | 1°C (35°F) | 4°C (40°F) | 7°C (44°F) | 6°C (44°F) | 4°C (40°F) | 1°C (35°F) | -1°C (31°F) | -3°C (27°F) |
Compare temperature, precipitation, sunshine, UV index in Santa Cruz, Portugal with other places around the world.
Santa Cruz usually has the most precipitation in March, April and December, with an average of 11 rainy days and 98 mm (3.9 inches) of precipitation per month. The driest months in Santa Cruz are July, August and September. On average, 22 mm (0.8 inches) of precipitation falls during these months.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 43 (1.7) | 87 (3.4) | 90 (3.5) | 90 (3.5) | 49 (1.9) | 39 (1.5) | 19 (0.8) | 15 (0.6) | 30 (1.2) | 71 (2.8) | 80 (3.2) | 114 (4.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 5 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 11 |
The sunniest months in Santa Cruz are June, July and August, when the sun shines an average of 13 hours 22 minutes a day. Least sunny months in Santa Cruz: January, February and December receive an average of 5 hours 30 minutes of sunshine daily.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 145 | 193 | 269 | 334 | 395 | 399 | 430 | 401 | 345 | 298 | 197 | 162 |
| Mean daily daylight hours | 9h 31m | 10h 35m | 11h 57m | 13h 21m | 14h 32m | 15h 8m | 14h 49m | 13h 46m | 12h 25m | 11h 2m | 9h 49m | 9h 11m |
Santa Cruz experiences the highest level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in May, June and July, when the maximum UV index can reach values of 10 - 11, which corresponds to the Very High / Extreme category of sun exposure. January, February and December are in the Low / Moderate exposure category. In these months, the maximum values of the UV index do not exceed 4. For more detailed information, check out our hourly Santa Cruz UV Index data.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV Index (month maximum) | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |