Town · Azores, Portugal · 38.68°N 28.21°W
Velas, Portugal
Velas is a town of 1,980 people in the Azores, with January highs of 16°C, no days a year above 35°C, a hospital 40.7 km from the centre and São Jorge Airport (SJZ) 3 km away.
Weather now
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Normal for November, 1991-2020
18°high · low 17°C · 13 rain days
Who Velas suits
Generated from the data below by published rulesGood fit for
- Winter-sun seekers16°C January highs and no frost days
- People who dislike heat23°C July highs and no days a year above 35°C
Weaker fit for
- Anyone who dislikes rain141 rainy days a year
Climate comfort
62/ 100
Top 28% 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
15/ 100
Rank 758 of 791 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)
Built on 75% of its inputs; the rest are not published for this town.
Access to services
39/ 100
Rank 517 of 801 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
Velas compared with Porto
Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.
- 3°C warmer in JanuaryAverage January highVelas 16°CPorto 13°C
- 3°C cooler in JulyAverage July highVelas 23°CPorto 26°C
- 22 more rainy days a yearDays with rain per yearVelas 141Porto 119
- 1 fewer very hot day a yearDays above 35°C per yearVelas 0Porto 1.0
- 16 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberVelas 9 h 28 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 1991-2020August is the warmest month (24°C average high) and February the coolest (16°C). December is the wettest (129 mm) and July the driest (30 mm).
- JanuaryAir 16° · Sea 16°15 rain daysCrowds: Low
- FebruaryAir 16° · Sea 16°13 rain daysCrowds: Low
- MarchAir 16° · Sea 16°14 rain daysCrowds: Low
- AprilAir 16° · Sea 16°12 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- MayAir 18° · Sea 17°10 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- JuneAir 20° · Sea 19°7 rain daysCrowds: High
- JulyAir 23° · Sea 21°6 rain daysCrowds: Peak
- AugustAir 24° · Sea 23°8 rain daysCrowds: Peak
- SeptemberAir 23° · Sea 22°11 rain daysCrowds: High
- OctoberAir 21° · Sea 21°16 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- NovemberAir 18° · Sea 19°13 rain daysCrowds: Low
- DecemberAir 17° · Sea 17°16 rain daysCrowds: Low
Crowd levels are for the Azores 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 10 days.
Healthcare & getting around
Town-level · straight-line distancesWithin 1.2 km of the centre
- Grocery stores1
- Pharmacies0
- Doctors & clinics1
30 min by car
- Hospitals0
- Sea beaches1
- People6,778
60 min by car
- Towns over 10,0000
- Hospitals0
- Sea beaches2
- People6,778
- Nearest train stationNone within 60 km
- Nearest bus station48 km
- Nearest hospitalHospital da Horta41 km · 129 min by car
- Nearest airport with scheduled flightsSão Jorge Airport (SJZ)3.4 km · 10 min by car
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
- 1Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
- 0PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
- 2CafésPortugal median: 4
- 4RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
- 2BakeriesPortugal median: 2
- 0Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
- 2SchoolsPortugal median: 2
- 1Doctors & 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 | Velas | Median town in Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Born in another EU country | 0.4% | 1.6% |
| Born outside the EU | 5.0% | 5.5% |
| Moved here from abroad in the past year | 0.8% | 1.1% |
5.4% 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 (1,426 residents counted).
Environment & natural hazards
- Earthquakes13 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M6.7.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
- WildfireNone nearbyNo fire of 30 ha or more burnt within 10 km of the centre in 2016-2025.Town-level · EFFIS
Places like Velas
Matched on climate, amenities and access
- Madalena (Madalena)Azores92% match
- Castelo Branco (Azores)Azores91% match
- São Roque do PicoAzores89% match
- Cais do PicoAzores88% match
- AngústiasAzores88% 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) and Nearest airport with scheduled flights. A match of 100% would mean the same values on every one.
Common questions about Velas
What is the weather like in Velas through the year?
January averages a high of 16°C and a low of 14°C; July averages 23°C and 21°C. There are about 141 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020.
How many very hot days does Velas get?
Velas had no days above 35°C in 2016-2025, nor in 1991-2000.
Does it freeze in Velas?
Velas averaged no frost days a year in 2016-2025.
What is within walking distance of the centre of Velas?
Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 1 grocery stores, 0 pharmacies, 1 doctors and clinics and 2 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest bus station is 48 km away, the nearest hospital is 41 km away, the nearest beach is 7.8 km away and the nearest coastline is 0.3 km away.
What is the nearest airport to Velas?
São Jorge Airport (SJZ), 3.4 km from the centre in a straight line.
How much daylight does Velas get in winter?
9 h 28 min on 21 December, against 14 h 53 min on 21 June.
Who is Velas a good fit for?
By the published rules: winter-sun seekers (16°C January highs and no frost days); people who dislike heat (23°C July highs and no days a year above 35°C).
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 Velas 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) |
| Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS) | Wildfires | 2016-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5 monthly sea surface temperature (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Sea temperature | monthly_1991-2020 | 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 |
| USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat) | Earthquakes | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |