The Republic of Brazil, which stretches 4,300 kilometers along the South American continent, is generally characterized by hot weather. The average air temperature even in the middle of winter here does not fall below +16 ° C, although the type of climate in the country varies quite significantly, depending on the region. If you’re deciding when it’s best to vacation in Brazil, study the weather patterns and choose the best period or time of year for you.
Let’s take a look at a map
The weather in Brazil is significantly influenced by the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the Guiana plateau, steep cliffs of the Sierra Pacaraima and the vast Amazon lowlands, formed by the valley of one of the largest rivers in the world. Do not forget that the state is located in the southern hemisphere, so winter comes in June and summer comes in December:
On the Atlantic coast in Brazil, you can vacation at any time of year. Only in the far south you risk getting a little cold in the middle of winter. In January and February, temperatures can sometimes drop below +15°C.
In summer, Rio de Janeiro enters its humid season. The weather is usually limited to cloudy afternoons, but tropical downpours may come and go from January through late March.
The “highest” season is during Carnival. If you’re going to Brazil in February and deciding when best to book tickets, do it as early as possible. But the weather during the days of the brightest feast pleases residents and guests of Rio heat and high humidity. The thermometers in this time easily overcome +32 ° C during the day and do not fall below +25 ° C at night.
This tourist destination is popular before the New Year. Warming up on a hot beach, according to Europeans frozen in the northern latitudes, is the best scenario for the Christmas vacations. New Year’s weather on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro doesn’t offer many surprises. It is usually a clear sunny morning and a hot and humid day with dense cloud cover and occasional tropical downpours that are short-lived but abundant. The mercury gauges reach +26°C on New Year’s Eve, and may cross the 35-degree mark on the first day of the year.
Features of the beach holiday
Flying to Rio just to relax on the beach is a crazy idea. Too long and expensive flight awaits the brave ones who risk to cross the Atlantic just to swim and sunbathe at the Capacabana (if you are in Europe, of course). More often than not, tourists combine sunbathing and swimming in the ocean with sightseeing and excursions into the surrounding area. And yet the beaches of Rio de Janeiro are known all over the world, so every day here is filled with many experiences.
Choosing when to vacation on the beaches of Brazil, focus on the late fall or second half of spring. These seasons are considered the most favorable time when humidity is the lowest, the air temperature is not too high, and the ocean warms up to quite comfortable for swimming:
- In January and February, the average temperature is +30°C during the day and up to +23°C at night. In coastal waves, thermometers record +25°C.
- In July and August, the mercury columns rise to +25 ° C in the afternoon and fall to +18 ° C at midnight, and the ocean warms to +20 ° C.
- October and April provide the most comfortable conditions for beach vacations in Rio. The thermometer readings confidently reach +27 ° C and +21 ° C during the day and night, respectively. The ocean is not too warm, but +22 degrees for a refreshing dip.
The beaches near the city of Recife, located near the equator, are popular with tourists at all times of the year. There is no rainy season in the area and the temperatures fluctuate around +28°C in every season.
The Carnival!
Grand and colorful, the largest on the planet and most popular among all fans of Latin American dance, carnival in Brazil every year attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world like a magnet. The celebration takes place in February on the eve of Lent and lasts several days before Ash Wednesday. As elsewhere in the world, the carnival symbolizes the custom of saying goodbye to meat before the start of Lent, but it is in Brazil that it has become a real show. When is the best time to go on vacation if you want to be part of a spectacular spectacle? Fly to Rio or other Brazilian cities well in advance to get acquainted and look around. Carnival crowds flock to the country on Carnival days and it is best to have a sightseeing tour of the main attractions by the time it starts.
Carnival coincides with the end of the Brazilian summer. During this time in Rio de Janeiro air temperatures consistently reach +32 ° C or even higher during the day and +23 ° C at night. Humidity in the region is traditionally significant in both winter and summer.
A colorful calendar
In addition to the carnival, Brazil offers many other interesting events and celebrations that are worth seeing.
If you are in the capital, Brasilia, on September 7, you can take part in the celebrations of the Independence Day. The celebration commemorates the obtaining of sovereignty from Portugal in 1822. The festivities include a grand military parade with up to 30,000 people taking part. Similar events are held all over the country, and in the evening Brazil is covered by a veritable flood of popular festivities.
True Catholics celebrate their own festivals, and if you decide to participate in Easter or Christmas celebrations, check the religious calendar. Particularly revered by Brazilians is November 2, when it’s time to remember the dead. The holiday is called Finados, and since the morning of this day Brazilians go to cemeteries and churches. They decorate graves with flowers, bring sweets to the dead and remember the deceased with kind words.
The Amazon is the river where everything is the greatest
The Queen of Rivers is called in the world the Amazon, the total system of which is considered the most full-flowing on the planet. More than five hundred large and small tributaries flow into it, and the unique Amazon ecosystem becomes the focus of tens of thousands of tourists interested in wildlife and geography every year. The Amazon basin is home to rare plants and endemic animals.
The capital of the state of Amazonia, Manaus is the home of the local Indian tribes. It is built on the banks of the river, which is several kilometers wide in this area.
The climate in Manaus and other tourist destinations in Brazil on the Amazon is equatorial. It is characterized by hot, humid weather during all 12 months of the year. Average temperatures are about +32°C in the first half of the Brazilian spring, +40°C in winter, and +30°C in the rest of the seasons. At night, the mercury gauges drop to +24° C, bringing a welcome coolness to the green kingdom.
Rainfall in the Amazonian jungle is heavy in summer and fall. The wet season peaks in February and April. Usually heavy downpours fall late in the evening or at night, but sometimes they can be prolonged. In winter, the Amazon is dry and from June through November, rain is rare rather than common.
If you want to see a unique natural phenomenon, which the locals call the “wedding of the rivers,” you should fly to Brazil during the wet season or just after it ends. During this time the Negro and Solimoes rivers are at their fullest and the black and white water of the two tributaries of the Amazon for the first few kilometers do not mix due to the difference in temperature.
Useful observations
Brazil is always popular with foreign tourists, but the peak of attendance is during Carnival season. Try to book flights to Rio de Janeiro and hotels for February as early as possible. Be prepared that prices for all services traditionally go up several times during this time.
If you are a keen photographer and prefer clear skies for sightseeing, you are better off vacationing in Brazil in general and Rio de Janeiro in particular during the dry season. During the rainy season, low clouds and haze can cover the sky over the bay and the view of the city from Sugar Loaf Mountain will not be as impressive as in sunny weather.
When traveling to Brazil, pack sunscreen with a high sun protection factor. The sun is very active in these latitudes, and the use of creams, sunglasses and clothing made of natural fabrics with long sleeves during the peak of its activity is vital.