Since 4^th April 2001, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of Azorean waters is obtained from 1.1 km resolution NOAA-12, -14, and -16 imagery recorded at the "HAZO" HRTP mid-Atlantic satellite receiving station. One year of data is processed to investigate AVHRR-derived SST distributions and associated dominant space and time scales. Daily SST is calculated with the MultiChannel Sea Surface Temperature algorithm. Comparison with in situ historical data demonstrates that satellite SST ranges include low value pixels that may be attributed to undetected clouds. Images show that remnant clouds are associated to zones of strong cloud coverage. However, contamination of pixels in contact with clouds is found to be limited. Therefore, to remove erroneous values, rather than systematically erode pixels around clouds, images are filtered inputting to each image threshold values equal to the mean more or less 4 times the standard deviation of 8-day SST histograms. Nighttime SST averages show a distinct seasonal cycle for the Azores region. Increased surface heating and decreased horizontal gradients are found during summertime. Eight-day zonal and meridional SST averages show typical latitudinal and longitudinal gradients, providing some insight into the physical mechanisms responsible for surface temperature variability in the region. These data are relevant to improve stock assessment and fishery management studies in the Azores.