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same in Italy, the often used energy rating is usually very inaccurate.

I don't think it's that inaccurate.... but everyone has their own opinion....

@tony359 I haven’t lived in any recently built homes in Coimbra and don’t know anyone who has, so can’t comment directly. But the interiors of many older buildings have been modernized and so are more comfortable in winter because the doors fit properly, the windows are double-glazed, etc.

I know people who lived in older buildings that have not been modernized, and they were pretty miserable in January and February. If you are going to live in central Coimbra, chances are high you will be in an old building, so finding one with a modernized interior is important for winter comfort.

Thanks James,

Definitely not planning to live in a town centre so hopefully I have more options

I'll bear in mind all your advice which is very valuable!

Hello all,

Bringing this back after a while. I've been keeping an eye on a public webcam in Coimbra since September and I haven't seen much sunshine there! Temps were also on the low side.

I see this week there is a little "heatwave" forecast (I am so jealous!) but I was wondering if you'd consider the past 3.5 months as "unusually gloomy" or not? Just curious.

I'll be in Portugal at the end of March so I hope things will be better by then

Thanks!

The north of Portugal is typically more gloomy/rainy/colder than Lisbon/the south. It’s why I chose Lisbon. I love the sun!

I didn't check on the Lisbon webcam regularly - but when I did it was gloomy as well

How does the current winter feel in Lisbon?

We're in winter, remember?.... this isn't Death Valley or the Sahara Desert...

Yes I am aware

But I am looking at statistics too Coimbra is supposed to be more than twice as sunny as where I live in the UK during winter but I can tell you it's been much sunnier here. Hence my question!

Portuguese climate is very much dominated by the Atlantic and its location on the planet.

This website seems to be a good source of information regarding the world climate.

When ist comes to the weather I would describe it as moderate and very changable, especially in the parts that are close to the Atlantic.

Thank - I am familiar with all the statistics websites. Some are great and allow to compare cities without having to browse through hundreds of pages.

However, that is not what my question was about. I've been looking at stats and webcams over the past months and I feel this winter has been "gloomier than usual" down there - is my impression correct?

I can tell you that the weather in the UK has been better than the usual Winter for example. Cold and rainy but with a decent amount of sunshine. Some winters here have been clouds from October to March...

Statistics can say what they want, but remember this is winter and climate changes and experience unusual weather patterns.

Good news.... spring time next 10 days....

@tony359

Not sure the weather in the UK has been good. 10 bad storms this winter alone and in the last 2 days 4 deaths.

Well, with "good" I don't mean permanent sunshine and spring temps. It's just that I've seen many sunny days and besides the couple of freezing spells, temps have been ok.

Some winters have been cloudy and miserable from September to March so being able to go out and walk in sunshine on multiple occasions might qualify for "better than usual" weather, that's it!

Nobody has answered my question yet BTW

    Well, with "good" I don't mean permanent sunshine and spring temps. It's just that I've seen many sunny days and besides the couple of freezing spells, temps have been ok.
Some winters have been cloudy and miserable from September to March so being able to go out and walk in sunshine on multiple occasions might qualify for "better than usual" weather, that's it!

Nobody has answered my question yet BTW -@tony359

Whats the obsession with the weather though? If you want a country where it is hot all the time, find a country that fits that bill.

Here in Austria its 15°C and its still winter.

Shirly, as with most things in this world based on personal preference,  the only way to find if the weather in some location is suitable for your requirements (or not) is to go and experience them for your self. This is also a good idea if you are considering living somewhere, go experience it yourself rather then spend your life looking at interweb stats and taking other's conflicting opinions. More pertinant may be the construction of any building (and its insulation and it's black mold) you may inhabit here.

I am not sure why this subject finds so much opposition.

I have been in Portugal already and I have another stay booked in March.

Moving country is not something you do at a click of the fingers.  Of all the people out there I would have thought that users of this forum would understand that very well. I'm just trying to get a better picture, that's it.

I could go to Portugal in March and stumble into a cold spell: does that mean it's always going to be that bad? No of course.

This is why I look online, ask people who have been there longer than me. Yes, I could spend more time in Portugal - which I intend to do - but unless I move there for years, I still won't have a bigger picture.

Where did I ask "is it hot all the time in Portugal?"

I really don't understand some of these answers. I'm just trying to get a feedback from some local residents.

@tony,

If you want good weather almost all year round, choose the Madeira islands.

You seem to be after subjective opinions using objective information.

  You said ""I've been looking at stats (objective info) and webcams over the past months and I feel (subjective opinion) this winter has been "gloomier than usual""".

People here do not have the same experiences (subjective opinions) as your self to base their analysis on so giving them (objective info) stats will not result in answers/opinions same as your own.

PS. Would you tell me which Portuguese town I should live in which is rural and has  hospitals, schools, etc, main line station link direct to airport. walking distance to beach, low crime rate, culture, and has detached houses with land I can buy for a pittance and where i can live on my tiny pension. please?   

I just don't get it, every time i ask on this forum no one gives me this information.

@JohnnyPT

Sorry, where did I say I am looking for good weather all year round?

@Strontium

Of course I appreciate others' opinions will be subjective. My idea of "pleasant" might be different than others' etc.

So what I should do in your opinion? Shut down my life here and move out hoping that all is well? Or based on a number of weeks spent there in person?

Don't you think that those subjective opinions have a place in make a decision?

I welcome your subjective opinions. I don't really understand why we keep arguing about this subject to be honest. I thought this was a Forum where to exchange ideas/point of views/opinions? Of course your opinion of questing my own question is also welcome.

However let me thank those 2-3 users who invested their time and shared their (obviously subjective) opinion on this subject, your help has been valuable!

The trouble we have here weather is so unpredictable. I arrived in Austria 15 years ago and wow, the winters were as you would expect in Austria, lots of snow getting up in good time so you could dig your car out of a blizzard and scrape the ice off the windows.

In the last 5 years we have had so little snow it makes you think about what's happening with the climate. Last winter we had 3 days when it snowed and it had all gone in a day.

Its only been this winter we have had a few days of snow and it's lasted but still nothing when I 1st arrived. The UK has had it worse than what I have had.

Winters have become milder and the summers have become warmer.

You find a place that you want to live, visit it in different seasons then make an educated decision. Better still if you plan to stay permanently, stay in a short-term rented property for a year. Use it as a base and travel the country.

    @JohnnyPT
Sorry, where did I say I am looking for good weather all year round?

    -@tony359

You are after something nice when you complain a region webcam has nasty weather.

Sorry, but are you just trolling the forum? Nice way of having other help from from members when they bent over backwards to help.

A study highlighting weather trends in coimbra, year by year:

(England will be facing its own set of trends due to climate change, and might be warming more rapidly there hence why you say the weather appears to less gloomy in england. i didnt make the time to check and compare