What the summit is doing right now: the live webcam, the latest measured reading from IPMA's weather station at the top (~1,800 m), the difference with Funchal, and today's sunrise. We don't forecast; we show what's measured and link to the forecasts.
The live readings need JavaScript. You can read IPMA's hourly station data directly on the IPMA website (station “Madeira, Pico do Areeiro”).
Sunrise and sunset are computed for Pico do Areeiro (32.735° N, 16.928° W), Madeira time, standard horizon, accurate to about ±2 minutes. From the summit, with a clear eastern horizon (sea or cloud tops), the sun shows about 6 minutes earlier.
The camera belongs to NetMadeira and is embedded with its own share code. It pans between the Pico do Areeiro viewpoint, the start of the PR1 path, Ninho da Manta, Pico do Cidrão and the observatory. It is sometimes offline or shows a placeholder; then try the NetMadeira timelapses or the same camera on Windy.
Official IFCN list (updated 14/09/2026): PARTLY OPEN — Open: Route in both directions between Pico do Areeiro and Miradouro da Pedra Rija. Closed/restricted: One-way route between Pedra Rija Viewpoint and Pico Ruivo.
PR1 status comes from the official IFCN warnings list and carries IFCN's own “updated” date. It loads here as a live badge (needs JavaScript).
A clear webcam doesn't mean the trail is open, and bad weather doesn't close it automatically: IFCN decides closures case by case (IFCN FAQ 4.2). Details, sold-out fixes and sunrise slots: PR1 today.
Pico do Areeiro is one of the foggiest places on Madeira: it averages 229 fog days a year (INMG 1979, cited in Prada et al. 2009). The north-east trade winds push moist air against the island's east–west mountain barrier, so cloud builds on the north side, usually between about 600–800 m and 1,600 m.
A warm layer above it, the trade-wind temperature inversion, puts a lid on that cloud (mechanism). That is why the peaks at about 1,800 m can stand above a flat “sea of clouds” while Funchal is grey. But the summit is also often inside the cloud, and nobody measures how often the sea of clouds forms at Areeiro, so we don't give odds.
Everything above is a measured observation or an astronomical calculation. For what's coming, use a forecast:
Yes. NetMadeira runs a live camera at the summit that pans between the viewpoint, the start of the PR1 path and the nearby peaks. It is embedded on this page with NetMadeira's own share code, and the same camera is on Windy. It is sometimes offline.
Often around 10–14 °C colder, though it varies with the weather. Over 29–30 September 2026 IPMA measured the summit 8.8–13.8 °C colder than Funchal. The summit has had frost (−3.3 °C on 19 March 2026) and snow (7 April 2026). This page shows the latest measured pair.
Nobody can promise it. The trade-wind inversion often keeps the cloud below the peaks, but Pico do Areeiro itself averages 229 fog days a year. Check the webcam and the summit humidity before you go: below about 90 % the station is probably out of the cloud.
Between about 06:59 in mid-June and 08:10 in early January (Madeira time), and around 08:00 in early October. This page computes today's time. From the summit, with a clear eastern horizon, the sun shows about 6 minutes earlier.
No. The readings are IPMA's measured hourly observations from its Pico do Areeiro station. For a forecast, use IPMA, Windy or a mountain forecast; the links are on this page.
Sources: IPMA (station 1210974 “Madeira, Pico do Areeiro”, wind fallback 1210973, Funchal 1200522; open data) · NetMadeira (webcam) · Prada et al. 2009 · Boundary-Layer Meteorology 2015 · DN 19/03/2026 · DN 07/04/2026 · IFCN FAQ · IFCN