Town · Alentejo, Portugal · 39.20°N 7.66°W
Alter do Chão, Portugal
Alter do Chão is a town of 2,600 people in Alentejo, with January highs of 13°C, 28 days a year above 35°C, a hospital 23.0 km from the centre and Badajoz Airport (BJZ) 80 km away.
Weather now
Not live yetForecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)
The live forecast from MET Norway loads with JavaScript.
Normal for November, 1991-2020
16°high · low 9°C · 10 rain days
Who Alter do Chão suits
Generated from the data below by published rulesGood fit for
No good-fit verdicts for Alter do Chão yet. Verdicts only use values that are precise enough to judge with.
Weaker fit for
- Heat-sensitive people28 days a year above 35°C
What makes Alter do Chão stand out
- Alter do Chão has the most grocery stores within a 15-minute walk in Alentejo among towns under 3,000 people (4).
A fact appears when a town ranks first for a measure in Portugal, in its region, or among towns of similar size there.
Climate comfort
33/ 100
Rank 635 of 766 in Portugal
Based on: Average daily high (January), Days above 35°C (recent), Days with rain (year), Tropical nights (recent), Frost days (recent)
Car-free living
29/ 100
Rank 645 of 797 in Portugal
Based on: Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (pharmacy), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station), Distance to nearest (bus station)
Access to services
23/ 100
Rank 746 of 807 in Portugal
Based on: Distance to nearest (hospital), Nearest airport with scheduled flights, Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (doctor), Places within a 15-minute walk (school)
How precise is each number?Town-levelmeasured or computed for this townModelledestimated from a grid or a modelRegionalonly available for the wider area
Alter do Chão compared with Porto
Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.
- Same January warmthAverage January highAlter do Chão 13°CPorto 13°C
- 6°C hotter in JulyAverage July highAlter do Chão 32°CPorto 26°C
- 37 fewer rainy days a yearDays with rain per yearAlter do Chão 82Porto 119
- 27 more very hot days a yearDays above 35°C per yearAlter do Chão 28Porto 1.0
- 13 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberAlter do Chão 9 h 25 minPorto 9 h 12 min
Housing & costs
Official · INE Portugal, EurostatRents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns. Municipalities with too few new leases get no rent figure.
Climate today
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020Month by month
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020July is the warmest month (32°C average high) and January the coolest (13°C). October is the wettest (84 mm) and July the driest (4 mm).
- JanuaryAir 13°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
- FebruaryAir 14°8 rain daysCrowds: Low
- MarchAir 17°8 rain daysCrowds: Low
- AprilAir 19°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
- MayAir 23°8 rain daysCrowds: Low
- JuneAir 28°3 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- JulyAir 32°1 rain dayCrowds: High
- AugustAir 32°2 rain daysCrowds: Peak
- SeptemberAir 28°5 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- OctoberAir 22°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
- NovemberAir 16°10 rain daysCrowds: Low
- DecemberAir 13°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
Crowd levels are for the Alentejo as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).
Is it getting hotter?
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysisDays above 35°C per year
Both measured periods come from the same reanalysis as the climate section. The bar scale runs to 28 days.
Healthcare & getting around
Town-level · straight-line distancesWithin 1.2 km of the centre
- Grocery stores4
- Pharmacies0
- Doctors & clinics0
- Train stationNo
30 min by car
- Hospitals1
- Sea beaches0
- People42,535
60 min by car
- Towns over 10,0003
- Hospitals1
- Sea beaches0
- People103,011
- Nearest train stationCrato8.3 km
- Nearest bus stationRodoviária22 km
- Nearest hospitalUnidade Local de Saúde do Norte Alentejano, EPE - Hospital Doutor José Maria Grande23 km · 24 min by car
- Nearest airport with scheduled flightsBadajoz Airport (BJZ)80 km
Distances are straight lines from the town centre. Drive times are by road in free-flowing traffic (OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads); people counts add up the towns reached.
Daily life
Town-level · Overture Maps places, 2026-10-21.0Within 1.2 km of the centre
- 4Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
- 0PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
- 1CafésPortugal median: 4
- 7RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
- 1BakeriesPortugal median: 2
- 0Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
- 0SchoolsPortugal median: 2
- 0Doctors & clinicsPortugal median: 1
Nature & surroundings
Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMapPeople & community
Modelled · EU Census 2021 gridUnder 1515 to 6465 and over
International residents
| Share of residents | Alter do Chão | Median town in Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Born in another EU country | 1.6% | 1.6% |
| Born outside the EU | 3.4% | 5.5% |
| Moved here from abroad in the past year | 1.0% | 1.1% |
5.0% of residents were born abroad, against 7.1% in the median town in Portugal (2021 census). From the 1 km census grid cells within 1.5 km of the centre (1,970 residents counted).
Environment & natural hazards
- Earthquakes2 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M5.4.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
- Air quality5.7 µg/m³Average fine particles (PM2.5) at the centre in 2023. The WHO guideline for the yearly average is 5 µg/m³.Modelled · EEA
- WildfireNone nearbyNo fire of 30 ha or more burnt within 10 km of the centre in 2016-2025.Town-level · EFFIS
Places like Alter do Chão
Matched on climate, amenities, nearest and access
- NisaAlentejo76% match
- Pinheiro GrandeOeste e Vale do Tejo71% match
- MonforteAlentejo71% match
- AtalaiaAlentejo71% match
- PortalegreAlentejo69% match
Measures used: Average daily high (January), Average daily high (July), Days above 35°C (recent), Days with rain (year), Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station) and Nearest airport with scheduled flights. A match of 100% would mean the same values on every one.
Common questions about Alter do Chão
What is the weather like in Alter do Chão through the year?
January averages a high of 13°C and a low of 5°C; July averages 32°C and 17°C. There are about 82 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020.
How many very hot days does Alter do Chão get?
Alter do Chão averaged 28 days a year above 35°C in 2016-2025, against 17 a year in 1991-2000.
Does it freeze in Alter do Chão?
Alter do Chão averaged 1 frost days a year (below 0°C) in 2016-2025.
What is within walking distance of the centre of Alter do Chão?
Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 4 grocery stores, 0 pharmacies, 0 doctors and clinics and 1 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest train station is 8.3 km away, the nearest bus station is 22 km away and the nearest hospital is 23 km away.
What is the nearest airport to Alter do Chão?
Badajoz Airport (BJZ), 80 km from the centre in a straight line.
How much daylight does Alter do Chão get in winter?
9 h 25 min on 21 December, against 14 h 56 min on 21 June.
Sources & methodology
Every value comes from one of the open datasets below and is computed the same way for every town. Each section names how precise its values are: town-level, modelled or regional. Distances are straight lines from the town centre, and amenities are counted within 1.2 km of it. Read the full methodology.
"Who Alter do Chão suits" lines come from fixed rules applied to every town in the same way. A rule only uses values that are modelled or better, and each line shows the numbers that triggered it. How the rules work.
| Dataset | Used for | Version | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation) | Elevation | glo30_s120 | Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution) |
| PM2.5, European air quality data (EEA, interpolated 1 km map) | Air quality | pm25_2023 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS) | Wildfires | 2016-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Climate | points_1991-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover) | Land cover | v200_2021 | CC BY 4.0 |
| EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat) | Census grid | V3 | Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy) |
| Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12) | Crowds | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Price level indices (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind) | Price level | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| GeoNames | Place names and populations | 2026-10-31 | CC BY 4.0 |
| INE Portugal (local statistics on rents, house prices, crime and population) | Rents, house prices, crime and population | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024) | Protected areas | end2024 | CC BY 4.0 |
| OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts) | Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline | 2026-10-31 | ODbL 1.0 |
| OurAirports | Airports | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |
| Overture Maps places | Amenities | 2026-10-21.0 | CDLA-Permissive-2.0 |
| TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA) | UV index | v2.0_clim_2004-2020 | Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used |
| USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat) | Earthquakes | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |