The Climate of
Brazil
Trindade Beach, São Paulo
Climate Map
Climate map of Brazil
What is the climate of Brazil like?
Brazil is located on the east coast of South America and is slightly larger than Australia. Almost half of South America is within its borders. Brazil has borders to the north with Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname , and French Guiana; in the south with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay; and to the west with Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. Most of Brazil extends from 5°N to 34°S and is in the tropics. Unlike most other South American countries, it does not include any part of the Andes, so no area of the country has permanent snowfields. The highest areas in Brazil reach just under 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) and there are no major areas over 1,800 meters (6,000 feet).
The country's two largest physical regions are the Amazon Basin and the Brazilian Plateau. The Amazon Basin occupies all of the north and center of the country and is below 300 meters (1,000 feet) everywhere; it has the climate of an equatorial lowland with little variation from place to place. The Brazilian Plateau lies to the south and east of the Amazon Basin and is highest near the Atlantic coast. Most of the plateau has an average elevation of 600 to 900 meters (2,000 to 3,000 ft), decreasing north and west towards the basins of the Amazon and Paraguay rivers. From Recife in the north to Porto Alegre in the south, Brazil's Atlantic coasts are narrow and overlooked by the hills that form the high rim of the plateau. Only around the mouth of the Amazon in the north are extensive lowlands on the Atlantic coast.
Temperatures in the cities of Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, and Brasilia are moderate—usually between 15°C and 30°C (59–86°F)—despite their relatively low latitude, because of their elevation of approximately 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Salvador on the coast have warm climates, with average temperatures ranging from 23°C to 27°C (73–81°F), but enjoy constant trade winds. The southern cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba have a warm temperate climate similar to that in parts of the United States and Europe, and temperatures can fall below freezing in winter.
Brazil can be divided into five climatic regions: the Amazon basin, the Brazilian plateau, the semiarid Northeast, the coastal areas within the tropics and the southern states of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. In general, Brazil is a tropical country with subtropical and temperate regions covering its three southern states and much of the elevated central plateau.
The Amazon Basin
This is a region with high temperatures that vary little throughout the year and heavy rainfall. There is no significant change in the seasons other than that caused by increased rainfall during the rainy season. Rainfall exceeds 1,500 millimeters (60 inches) per year everywhere, and exceeds 2,000 millimeters (80 inches) in much of the region. Despite high annual precipitation, the Amazon rainforest has a three- to five-month dry season, the timing of which varies according to location north or south of the equator. Temperatures are typically tropical in all months with average midday temperatures ranging from 27° to 32°C (80° to 90°F).
The prevailing winds in the Amazon Valley are east and west (or southwest), the former warm and humid, the latter dry and cold. The east winds, deflections of the trade winds, blow upstream with great regularity and force, especially in winter or the dry season, and are felt inland to the mouths of the Madeira and Negro rivers. Above that they are less regular, being attracted north to the heated llanos (grassland plains) of Venezuela in winter or south to the heated campos (open plains) of Matto Grosso in summer. The cold south-west winds are felt when the sun is north of the equator, and are strongest for a few days when a cold spell known as friagem drops nighttime temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F). These spells typically occur between May and September and are at their most uncomfortable for local residents, who then stay indoors and make fires. There are winter winds from the Andes, but in the summer season there are cold air currents from upriver, usually followed by downpours.
Extremely high temperatures are almost unknown in the Amazon Basin; Daily temperatures of 38°C (100°F) are very rare. The high humidity and monotonous day-to-day temperatures make this area uncomfortable for those unfamiliar or unaccustomed to the hot, wet tropics, but the conditions are not physically hazardous.
Manaus is representative of this vast region. There is little difference in temperature and humidity from place to place. The Amazon estuary is wetter and the heaviest rainfall falls in the months of January through May, but all months have many rainy days. Manaus in the central part of the region is not quite as wet and the period from June to September is drier. The extreme southwest of the region is closer to the Andes and is therefore wetter. Being further south, it has a greater concentration of rain during the high sun period from December to March and a more pronounced dry season during the low sun period. Hours of sunshine per day range from three to four in the wetter months to seven to eight in the dry season.
| Climate data for Manaus (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.4 (88.5) | 32.1 (89.8) | 33.1 (91.6) | 33.5 (92.3) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.6 (90.7) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.9 (89.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.4 (79.5) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.6 (81.7) | 28.0 (82.4) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.6 (81.7) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.0 (80.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.4 (74.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 287.0 (11.30) | 295.1 (11.62) | 300.0 (11.81) | 319.0 (12.56) | 246.9 (9.72) | 118.3 (4.66) | 75.4 (2.97) | 64.3 (2.53) | 76.3 (3.00) | 104.1 (4.10) | 169.2 (6.66) | 245.6 (9.67) | 2,301.2 (90.60) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
The Brazilian Plateau
This region is as big and spread out as the Amazon Basin, but being further south and at a moderate altitude, it has a very different climate. There is a much more distinct wet and dry season, and both daily and annual temperature ranges are quite distinct. The elevated chapadas (plateaus) are generally hotter during the day and cooler at night. With the exception of the north-east of this region, in the valley of the São Francisco river and in the province of Ceará, the annual rainfall is about 1,250 to 1,500 millimeters (50 to 60 in). At the time of the high sun, there is a very pronounced rainy season, with almost all the rain falling between October and April. The remaining months are almost dry.
The capital Brasília is representative of conditions in the wetter parts of this region. There is not much variation in average monthly temperatures over the course of the year, but during the drier months with low sun, the daily temperature variation is greater as nights are generally clear and days are sunnier. These months are the most comfortable as the humidity is lower at midday. The rainy season has more clouds, higher humidity and higher nighttime temperatures.
| Climate data for Brasília (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.4 (81.3) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.0 (84.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.0 (80.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.6 (70.9) | 20.3 (68.5) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.3 (66.7) | 21.0 (69.8) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.1 (73.6) | 21.7 (71.1) | 21.7 (71.1) | 21.4 (70.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 18.3 (64.9) | 18.2 (64.8) | 18.2 (64.8) | 17.7 (63.9) | 15.6 (60.1) | 14.2 (57.6) | 13.9 (57.0) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.6 (63.7) | 18.5 (65.3) | 18.1 (64.6) | 18.3 (64.9) | 17.0 (62.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 206.0 (8.11) | 179.5 (7.07) | 226.0 (8.90) | 145.2 (5.72) | 26.9 (1.06) | 3.3 (0.13) | 1.5 (0.06) | 16.3 (0.64) | 38.1 (1.50) | 141.8 (5.58) | 253.1 (9.96) | 241.1 (9.49) | 1,478.8 (58.22) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
The Northeast
High and relatively regular levels of precipitation in the Amazon contrast sharply with the dryness of the semiarid Northeast, where rainfall is scarce. The Northeast is the driest part of the country. The region also constitutes the hottest part of Brazil, where during the dry season between May and November, temperatures of more than 38°C (100°F) have been recorded. However, the sertão, a region of semidesert vegetation used primarily for low-density ranching, turns green when there is rain.
Not only does the arid region of the Northeast (see Petrolina) have low average rainfall, where many places receive less than 750 millimeters (30 inches), but rainfall is very unreliable from year to year. The year is divided into a dry and a rainy season; In the dry season, rain is infrequent, the rivers dry up and the campos are burnt bare, while in the rainy season it sometimes rains heavily and the campos are covered in lush greenery. However, the rains are neither regular nor certain, sometimes missing for years, leading to prolonged droughts.
| Climate data for Petrolina (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 33.7 (92.7) | 32.9 (91.2) | 33.6 (92.5) | 32.1 (89.8) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.5 (86.9) | 31.5 (88.7) | 34.6 (94.3) | 36.8 (98.2) | 36.9 (98.4) | 35.2 (95.4) | 32.5 (90.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.7 (81.9) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.8 (85.6) | 28.9 (84.0) | 28.5 (83.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.0 (71.6) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.2 (68.4) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.7 (67.5) | 20.7 (69.3) | 22.1 (71.8) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.5 (72.5) | 21.4 (70.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 81.9 (3.22) | 105.9 (4.17) | 136.3 (5.37) | 93.6 (3.69) | 21.7 (0.85) | 5.1 (0.20) | 8.7 (0.34) | 2.4 (0.09) | 5.6 (0.22) | 11.9 (0.47) | 53.5 (2.11) | 50.8 (2.00) | 577.4 (22.73) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
The East Coast within the Tropics
This long, narrow region stretches from the south of the Amazon estuary to São Paulo and has a typically hot, tropical climate. However, there are some important differences in the season of greatest precipitation from north to south. Near the mouth of the Amazon, all months are wet, but there is more rain in the months of December to May, as the Belém example shows. From about 3°S to the city of Salvador at 14°S, the wettest months are from April to August and the rest of the year is comparatively dry (see example Recife). This unusual precipitation regime applies only to the coastal lowlands; inland on the plateau there is less precipitation and the rainy season is the time of high sun.
| Climate data for Belém (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 31.1 (88.0) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.5 (90.5) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.7 (90.9) | 32.2 (90.0) | 31.8 (89.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 26.2 (79.2) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.5 (79.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.0 (73.4) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.1 (73.6) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.7 (72.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 384.5 (15.14) | 399.5 (15.73) | 450.3 (17.73) | 424.3 (16.70) | 298.4 (11.75) | 185.3 (7.30) | 153.8 (6.06) | 134.8 (5.31) | 128.2 (5.05) | 129.2 (5.09) | 127.4 (5.02) | 268.3 (10.56) | 3,084 (121.44) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Recife (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30 (86) | 29.7 (85.5) | 28.9 (84.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.3 (81.1) | 27.5 (81.5) | 28.1 (82.6) | 29 (84) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.1 (84.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.4 (79.5) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.2 (77.4) | 24.5 (76.1) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.5 (77.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 25.5 (77.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.7 (69.3) | 21.4 (70.5) | 21.9 (71.4) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.8 (71.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 108.2 (4.26) | 148.2 (5.83) | 256.9 (10.11) | 337.6 (13.29) | 318.5 (12.54) | 377.9 (14.88) | 388.1 (15.28) | 204.8 (8.06) | 122 (4.8) | 63 (2.5) | 35.7 (1.41) | 56.8 (2.24) | 2,417.6 (95.18) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
In the inhabited highlands of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, the climate is greatly modified by lush vegetation and southerly winds, as well as by altitude. São Paulo is partially covered by open campos, which also serve to increase the maximum temperature. However, nights are cool as the northern districts of Minas Gerais are much warmer than the southern ones. In the hills there are sometimes frosts. In the Paraíba Valley, which stretches across the state of Rio de Janeiro, the average temperature is slightly higher than in São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and the nights are warmer.
South of Salvador, the distribution of precipitation changes. The Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo examples show that the wettest months are from November to April. There is some significant rainfall here in all months. Nowhere on this coast do the maximum temperatures rise to the point of being uncomfortable, although the combination of heat and humidity can be uncomfortable at night.
The daytime heat is often tempered by the sea breeze. Along this coast, from Recife southward, it can be cloudy and cool with some rain or drizzle for a few days with the sun low. Temperatures never drop very low and frost is unknown along the coast, but in the hills behind São Paulo, occasional frosts can damage valuable coffee crops. Sunshine hours on the coast are lower year-round than at similar inland latitudes on the plateau. They average between five and six in the wetter months and six to seven in the drier months.
| Climate data for Rio de Janeiro (1981—2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.4 (84.9) | 27.8 (82.0) | 26.4 (79.5) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.4 (77.7) | 26.0 (78.8) | 27.4 (81.3) | 28.6 (83.5) | 27.3 (81.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.0 (78.8) | 24.4 (75.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.3 (70.3) | 21.8 (71.2) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 24.0 (75.2) | 25.3 (77.5) | 23.8 (74.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.3 (73.9) | 21.9 (71.4) | 20.4 (68.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.4 (65.1) | 18.9 (66.0) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.2 (68.4) | 21.4 (70.5) | 22.4 (72.3) | 21.0 (69.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 137.1 (5.40) | 130.4 (5.13) | 135.8 (5.35) | 94.9 (3.74) | 69.8 (2.75) | 42.7 (1.68) | 41.9 (1.65) | 44.5 (1.75) | 53.6 (2.11) | 86.5 (3.41) | 97.8 (3.85) | 134.2 (5.28) | 1,069.4 (42.10) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for São Paulo (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28.6 (83.5) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.0 (82.4) | 26.6 (79.9) | 23.4 (74.1) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.2 (77.4) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.9 (80.4) | 28.3 (82.9) | 26.1 (79.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.5 (74.3) | 22.5 (72.5) | 21.2 (70.2) | 18.4 (65.1) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.2 (63.0) | 18.1 (64.6) | 19.1 (66.4) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.2 (70.2) | 22.6 (72.7) | 20.4 (68.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.6 (67.3) | 18.9 (66.0) | 17.5 (63.5) | 14.7 (58.5) | 13.5 (56.3) | 12.8 (55.0) | 13.3 (55.9) | 14.9 (58.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 17.3 (63.1) | 18.7 (65.7) | 16.4 (61.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 292.1 (11.50) | 257.7 (10.15) | 229.1 (9.02) | 87.0 (3.43) | 66.3 (2.61) | 59.7 (2.35) | 48.4 (1.91) | 32.3 (1.27) | 83.3 (3.28) | 127.2 (5.01) | 143.9 (5.67) | 231.3 (9.11) | 1,658.3 (65.29) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
The Southern States of Brazil outside the Tropics
This region consists of the southern states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. Both along the coast and on the inland plateaus, the climate is warm temperate rather than tropical, and is similar to that of Uruguay and northern Argentina. As the climate of Porto Alegre shows, there is a significantly cooler season in the winter months even on the coast. Here winter has real meaning and the difference between the seasons is determined by temperature rather than precipitation.
There is no absolute dry season in this part of the Brazilian Plateau, but the cooler months are slightly wetter. The prevailing winds in this region are from the northwest, and westerly winds in the rainy season are usually accompanied by rain. This area is affected by travelling depressions forming in the disturbed region of west winds further south and more frequent cold air invasions from Antarctica. During the warmer summer months, temperatures reach levels similar to those further north in the tropical regions of Brazil. This region has a generally pleasant climate, with an average of eight to nine hours of sunshine per day during the summer months.
Inland, where the land is higher, frosts are fairly common in winter, but snow is very rare. Inland, the wettest months are in summer, in contrast to the coastal district.
| Climate data for Porto Alegre (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.5 (86.9) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.1 (84.4) | 25.9 (78.6) | 22.2 (72.0) | 19.8 (67.6) | 19.3 (66.7) | 21.3 (70.3) | 22.1 (71.8) | 25.0 (77.0) | 27.4 (81.3) | 29.5 (85.1) | 25.2 (77.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.5 (76.1) | 23.5 (74.3) | 20.3 (68.5) | 16.9 (62.4) | 14.4 (57.9) | 13.8 (56.8) | 15.3 (59.5) | 16.7 (62.1) | 19.4 (66.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 23.6 (74.5) | 19.6 (67.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 20.6 (69.1) | 20.5 (68.9) | 19.5 (67.1) | 16.5 (61.7) | 13.3 (55.9) | 10.8 (51.4) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 12.8 (55.0) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.0 (66.2) | 15.6 (60.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 110.1 (4.33) | 106.5 (4.19) | 92.2 (3.63) | 107.3 (4.22) | 118.8 (4.68) | 141.3 (5.56) | 141.3 (5.56) | 117.4 (4.62) | 141.5 (5.57) | 138.3 (5.44) | 110.9 (4.37) | 99.6 (3.92) | 1,425.2 (56.11) |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia | |||||||||||||
References
- E. A. Pearce, Charles Gordon Smith, (1990) The Hutchinson World Weather Guide, John Murray Press. ISBN 1859863426
- Timothy L. Gall, (ed.), (2003), Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition, Thomson Gale
- Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, (1998), Brazil: a country study. Claitor's Pub. Division. ISBN 0844408549
- Hugh Chisholm, (ed.), (1911), Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh edition, Cambridge University Press
The Climate of
Brazil
In summary:
Brazil is a tropical country but extends well into the temperate zone. The Amazon Basin has a typically hot, tropical climate, with annual rainfall exceeding 3,000 mm (117 in) in some areas; the Brazilian Highlands, which include roughly half of the total area, are subtropical. The narrow coastal lowland area ranges from tropical in the north to temperate in the south. The cool upland plains of the south have a temperate climate and an occasional snowfall. The coolest period is from May to September, and the hottest is from December to March.
October to May is the rainy season. Rainfall is high in the lowlands and in the upper Amazon Basin, along the northern coast, at certain points on the east coast, and in the southern interior, while there are periodic droughts in the northeast.