Snow / Neve

The people of Madeira call hail that falls in the mountains during winter 'neve', but snowflakes also appear in the high region of the island, known to the locals as 'folhelho'. Snow is never observed below 1200 or 1300 meters, while hail has been known to fall as low as 600 meters, and can even appear at lower altitudes, although this is not frequent. Snow in our climate is short-lived and generally melts within a few hours. It is hail that forms the extensive white sheets that sometimes cover the mountains for many days.

See Hail.