Nazaré weather in October
October in Nazaré: nice, rainy, with muggy air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#6 of 12 months in Nazaré · #661 of 1413 destinations to visit in October · comfort 77/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 23°C
- Nights
- 15°C
- Wet days
- 10
- Sun
- 8.7 h
- Humidity
- 80%
- Daylight
- 11 h

Traveller notes on Nazaré in October
Notes from nearby Ericeira (77 km away)
Nazaré doesn't have its own notes for October yet — these are about Ericeira, close enough to share the season.
Regulars are honest this month comes down to luck, some trips landing genuinely great beach days back to back, others hitting nothing but rain, the range wide enough that no single verdict really applies. Our row backs that mild, genuinely wet read, 20.5C over 16.2C nights, with a substantial 64.7mm of rain across 8.9 days and a real 20.6 kph wind. Regulars are consistent fewer tourists and a relaxed atmosphere make this a genuinely good month for surfing regardless of the weather roulette, the town itself reading as more pleasant than nearby Sintra, which can feel distinctly damp by comparison. The sea sits at 19.9C. The record: 8.7 hours of sun, humidity 81 percent and AQI 48.
Other months in Nazaré
Regulars are specific this beach town along Portugal's west coast doesn't get genuinely lively until summer proper, still fairly quiet through May and early June even though it's never completely dead. Our row backs that mild, genuinely wet read, 21.4C over 13.3C nights feeling 11C, with 45.9mm of rain across 6.6 days and a real 22.4 kph wind. Regulars are consistent the west coast's weather here stays genuinely unpredictable regardless of the calendar, a layer for wind and a possible shower worth packing even on a trip planned around sun. The sea sits at a cold 16.5C, still too bracing for most swimmers this early. The record: 12.1 hours of sun, humidity 77 percent and AQI 50.
People come here for the hundred-foot waves, and June is the wrong month for them - regulars put that swell between December and February, with December and January the better chances. What June offers instead is a quiet beach, because Portuguese schools do not break up until the end of the month, and a town that stays busy regardless. Their figures are 19 to 23C with foggy mornings, and our row says 23C over 15.5C with 12.8 hours of sun. On the water they are blunt: cold, whatever the air is doing. They put this coast at 16 to 17C in June and our column says 18.5C, which is the same verdict either way. The wind is a real 22.7 kph. The record: humidity 78 percent, 23.2mm of rain across 6.2 days and AQI 51.
Nazare-forum and surf-guide sources on November weather agree it's one of the first genuinely strong months of the big-wave season, which runs roughly October through March: powerful Atlantic swells start arriving with real regularity, and Praia do Norte can already throw up big-to-giant faces once swell direction and wind align. Regulars call November a strong pick since it's slightly less crowded than the December-January peak, while still delivering spectacle-grade days often enough to be worth the trip. The catch every source repeats: conditions swing hard day to day, a clean, giant swell followed by a windy, messy, medium one, so checking the forecast close to arrival matters more than picking a date months out. Layered clothing plus real rain and wind protection is the standing packing advice regardless of what the surf is doing. The record: 17.8C days feeling like 17C, 11.2C nights, 96mm across 11.8 days, an 18.1C sea, 82 percent humidity and wind averaging over 21 km/h.
September in Nazare is pleasant and the wrong month for what the town is famous for. Regulars put the giant waves between October and February, with December to February the reliable window and January capable of 30 metres and more; September gives you no great chance of them. What it does give is warm, mostly sunny weather at 19 to 22C - our row says 24.6C over 16C - with the beach itself cool enough that some visitors complain. The Atlantic here stays at 19.3C. So: come now for the town and the cliff at O Sitio, come in winter for the spectacle. The record: 4.6 precipitation days carrying 32.1mm, a 20.7 kph wind and 10.7 hours of sun.
Add your own note from Nazaré's card on the map.
Nazaré climate normals — October
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Nazaré in October
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
BusyTow Surfing Challenge window, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Nazaré's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherNazaré's weather peaks July–September, best around August.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Nazaré in October
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Season
Big-wave season, Praia do Norte
15 Oct – 15 Mar · usuallySurf seasonAtlantic storms funnel down the Nazare canyon and the tow-in crews chase them from the lighthouse headland. Six to ten genuinely enormous days a winter, and no way to book them in advance.
- Festival
Tow Surfing Challenge window
15 Oct – 15 Mar · usuallySurf seasonCrowdedBook earlyThe big-wave contest is called on 24 to 48 hours' notice when the forecast clears about twelve metres, so the town can go from empty to sold out inside a day between October and March. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Nazaré — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Nazaré?
Nazaré in October — FAQ
- Is October a good time to visit Nazaré?
- October in Nazaré: nice, rainy, with muggy air — a great time to visit. It ranks #6 of 12 months for Nazaré on SeasonMap's comfort score (77/100).
- What is the weather like in Nazaré in October?
- In October, Nazaré averages a daily high of 22.6°C and a low of 14.5°C, with about 81.7 mm of rain over roughly 10.1 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Nazaré in October?
- Nazaré has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 51 in October.
Within 300 km: Lisbon's Grape harvest around 1 Sep – 15 Oct, and Évora's Alentejo grape harvest around 15 Aug – 5 Oct.