Climate of Brazil

Climate of Brazil

Where is the country of Brazil located? Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest country in the world. Brazil is best known for football, beautiful women and carnival. A more important feature of Brazil is its complex ecological system, where nature and climate form a beautiful interplay and which gives the country its unique places in this world. The Amazon Basin is one of the most fascinating natural areas and is sometimes thought of as the lungs of the earth. Scientists are therefore watching the rapid deforestation of this million-square-kilometer tropical rainforest with great concern.

Since most of Brazil is south of the equator, the seasons are opposite to ours. In theory it should be winter during our summer months in Brazil. The only thing you notice is that the southern half of Brazil has somewhat lower temperatures during that period than during our winter months, when it is theoretically summer there. However, you can forget about winter weather in Brazil: those who want to go on winter sports will have to move to other countries.

Different climate zones

Brazil has different climates, which can largely be classified under the main categories tropical and subtropical. Due to the location of this huge country, they are all warm climates. The final climatic zone and its characteristics are mainly determined by its location in relation to the Atlantic Ocean, the Brazilian Highlands, the Andes Mountains to the west of the country and the Amazon region mentioned earlier.

The entire Amazon region and northern part of the highlands of Brazil have tropical climates. Southeast of the mouth of the Amazon River and throughout the western part of the Amazon region you will find a tropical rainforest climate, type Af according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The rest of the Amazon region mainly has a tropical monsoon climate (type Am), which is mainly due to a clearly present wetter period, the so-called monsoon or rainy season.

Almost the entire area between the Amazon region and the imaginary line between Pantanal and Rio de Janeiro has a tropical savanna climate (type Aw). Exceptions are the higher areas in central Brazil, where there is a warm and partly temperate savanna climate (types Cwa and Cwb), the interior in the east, where a large part has a warm steppe climate (type Bsh) and the coastal strip between Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, where tropical monsoon and tropical rainforest climates set the tone.

The south of Brazil has a warm maritime climate with warm summers and mild winters. This mainly concerns the regions of Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo. Because in the local winter months the temperatures can drop below ten degrees at night, there is clearly no longer a tropical climate here.

Rain

There is no shortage of rain in Brazil. Especially in the rainforests of the Amazon region and in the extreme east (near Recife) the rainwater falls down in full. On an annual basis, a lot of rain can fall, especially in the west and east of the Amazon. The wettest areas account for no less than two thousand to more than four thousand millimeters of rain on an annual basis. In these areas the rain falls throughout the year with not too great variations in the amounts per month. The central Amazon is less wet: an average of 1500 to 2000 millimeters of rain falls here per year. During the winter months (July to September) there is a lot less than during the monsoon, which means that the total amount of precipitation lags behind compared to the rest of the area. The rest of Brazil also accounts for at least a thousand millimeters of rain per year, usually there is a wet and a drier season. This varies by region and is further discussed in the specific climate pages about areas and places in Brazil.

The Ceará region in the northeast is on average a bit drier than the surrounding areas. These are really statistical average values ​​that give no guarantee:

the precise locations where the rain falls and the associated amounts can vary greatly. For example, at location A 600 millimeters of rain can fall one year, while the same place has the misfortune of having to process twice the amount the following year.

Rainy season

Some places, such as the tropical rainforests in the west of the Amazon and at the mouth in the east, do not have a rainy season. These locations receive a large amount of rain throughout the year. In the extreme south of Brazil, winter is slightly wetter than summer. However, a greater contrast can be found in the extreme east of Brazil, in the coastal area around Recife. The summers here are fairly dry and the winters extremely wet. More than 200 millimeters of rain per month in May and June is quite normal here.

The central part of the Amazon region does have a rainy season, which sets it apart from the rest of this area. The period from June to September is a relatively dry period here. In most places there is still 30 to 100 millimeters of rain per month. The wetlands of Pantanal have a rainy season that runs from December to May. During this period, about one thousand to fourteen hundred millimeters of rain falls, which ensures that the water level can rise to as much as 3 meters. The water then inundates large areas of land, making it very fertile. Another treasure of this area are the many animal and fish species, some of which are unfortunately in danger of extinction due to man. The area is very popular among nature lovers,

The central area of ​​Brazil, where you mainly find the higher areas, also has a wetter season in the summer months. For example, the city of Brasilia has winter months in which the number of rainy days is limited to an average of 3 to 5 per month, while in summer it rains almost every day and almost every month (well) exceeds two hundred millimeters of precipitation.

Heat

There is no lack of heat in Brazil. Not only is the weather warm, you can also feel the warmth in the people and in the music. Large parts of Brazil all year or a significant part of the year have to deal with temperatures around tropical values, from around 30 to 33 degrees during the day and slightly above 20 degrees during the late night. In the southern half of Brazil it is a bit cooler in the winter months. With an average of 20 to 28 degrees, it is still very pleasant during the day, but the nights can be a bit cooler, with temperatures that can drop to 5 to 10 degrees. In the coastal strip from Rio de Janeiro to Salvador you can safely add five to eight degrees.

Frost is almost non-existent in Brazil. Only on the highest peaks of the mountains can temperatures sporadically dip below freezing. You can forget about taking skis with you, because you will not see large expanses of snow here.

UV radiation

The power of the sun is great in Brazil. In the north, which is around or just below the equator, the highest possible sun strength applies almost all year round (11). In December and January it can be slightly lower, as well as at times when it is very cloudy. The southern half of Brazil also has to deal with a very strong sun in the summer months, with white skin you can burn within fifteen minutes. In the local winter months, when it is summer with us, the sun strength is comparable to ours at the same time. Just before and after the summer, the UV index is already slightly higher than the maximum attainable in our country. Lubricating well with a high factor sun milk is the advice. During the hottest hours (from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) it is best to stay out of the sun or cover yourself well.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Maximum temperature Minimum temperature Hours of sunshine per day Days of rainfall per month Water temperature
January 30℃ 21℃ 6 21 25℃
February 30℃ 22℃ 7 17 26℃
March 29℃ 21℃ 6 16 26℃
April 27℃ 19℃ 6 14 25℃
May 26℃ 18℃ 6 12 24℃
June 25℃ 16℃ 6 9 23℃
July 24℃ 16℃ 6 10 22℃
August 25℃ 16℃ 6 9 22℃
September 25℃ 17℃ 5 12 22℃
October 26℃ 18℃ 5 18 22℃
November 27℃ 19℃ 5 21 24℃
December 29℃ 20℃ 5 22 25℃

Best time to visit Brazil

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to Brazil? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. Brazil is in fifth place in the list of largest countries in the world. With an area of ​​more than 8.5 million square kilometers you are talking about a huge country, in which different landscapes and climatic zones occur. Because Brazil is also partly located in the northern and largely in the southern hemisphere, a situation arises in which the summer in the north of the country coincides with our summer and in the rest of Brazil in the opposite season.

Best months

Due to all these elements, it is difficult to designate one travel season in general as the best time to travel to Brazil. If we have to indicate a general period as the most suitable period for a trip to Brazil, then we would choose June to September. In much of the country, this is the period when there is less precipitation, temperatures are somewhat subdued and travel conditions are at their best.

Amazon

The Amazon River flows in the north of Brazil. Surrounding this is the enormous Amazon rainforest, which largely has a tropical rainforest climate (type Af). Towards the coast there is a tropical savanna climate because of the different precipitation pattern. In the Amazon region it is continuously tropical warm (30-33 degrees during the day) and considerable amounts of precipitation fall. Think of two thousand to three thousand millimeters per year. There is a difference per month. The period from July to October is generally drier, making it the best time to travel to the Amazon. February, March and April, on the other hand, are very wet.

Brazil