Climate
The archipelago is spread out in the area between 37° N and the parallels of latitude that pass through the Lisbon area (38° 43' / 38° 55' N), giving it generally a tepid, oceanic, subtropical climate, with mild annual oscillations. Daily maximum temperatures usually range between 15 °C (59 °F) and 25 °C (77 °F). The average annual rainfall increases from east to west, and it ranges from 700 to 1600 annual millimetres (27.6–63 in) on average, reaching 6,300 millimetres (250 in) on Mount Pico, the highest Portuguese mountain at 2,351 m (7,713 ft). The Azores high, an area of high atmospheric pressure, is named after the islands. Under Köppen Climate Classification climate classification, "dry-summer subtropical" the climate here are often referred to as "Mediterranean". The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Csb ". (Mediterran Climate).
| Climate data for the Archipelago of the Azores (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 16.0 (60.8) |
15.8 (60.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
17.1 (62.8) |
18.6 (65.5) |
20.9 (69.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
24.8 (76.6) |
23.8 (74.8) |
21.2 (70.2) |
18.8 (65.8) |
17.0 (62.6) |
19.49 (67.08) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
11.1 (52) |
11.6 (52.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.1 (64.6) |
16.1 (61) |
14.1 (57.4) |
12.6 (54.7) |
14.38 (57.88) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 111.7 (4.398) |
108.6 (4.276) |
99.6 (3.921) |
85.2 (3.354) |
59.6 (2.346) |
48.5 (1.909) |
32.6 (1.283) |
56.9 (2.24) |
96.3 (3.791) |
124 (4.88) |
129.5 (5.098) |
136.3 (5.366) |
1,090.5 (42.933) |
| Source: Instituto de Meteorologia, IP Portugal. | |||||||||||||
In addition, the Instituto de Meteorologia has identified the following weather extremes:
- Highest minimum air temperature: 24.3 °C (75.7 °F), in Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira (30 June 1996)
- Lowest minimum air temperature: −3.5 °C (25.7 °F), in Chã das Lagoinhas, São Miguel (2 January 1973)
- Highest maximum air temperature: 32.1 °C (89.8 °F), in Madalena, Pico (7 September 1985)
- Lowest maximum air temperature: 4.0 °C (39.2 °F), Chã das Lagoinhas, São Miguel (20 February 1972)
- Maximum precipitation in 24 hours: 27.6 cm (10.87 in), Furnas, São Miguel (3 October 1974)
- Maximum wind speed: >168 km/hour, Angra do Heroísmo, (Terceira 2 November 1995)
Read more about this topic: Politics Of The Azores, Geography
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