Fortaleza climate
Fortaleza (Ceará, Brazil) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 27 °C81 °F, and about 1,082 mm43 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Fortaleza climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2985 | 2678 | 2882 | 1285.0 |
| Feb | 2984 | 2679 | 2781 | 1556.1 |
| Mar | 2984 | 2679 | 2781 | 2238.8 |
| Apr | 2883 | 2679 | 2781 | 2499.8 |
| May | 2984 | 2678 | 2781 | 1455.7 |
| Jun | 2883 | 2577 | 2780 | 903.6 |
| Jul | 2983 | 2476 | 2680 | 441.7 |
| Aug | 2984 | 2476 | 2780 | 90.3 |
| Sep | 3085 | 2576 | 2781 | 30.1 |
| Oct | 3086 | 2577 | 2781 | 50.2 |
| Nov | 3086 | 2678 | 2882 | 70.3 |
| Dec | 3086 | 2679 | 2882 | 241.0 |
| Year | 3086 | 2476 | 2781 | 1,08243 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 67% | 5.6 | 12:19 |
| Feb | 81% | 72% | 5.4 | 12:14 |
| Mar | 83% | 74% | 5.3 | 12:08 |
| Apr | 84% | 78% | 4.8 | 12:02 |
| May | 83% | 61% | 5.1 | 11:57 |
| Jun | 81% | 52% | 5.1 | 11:54 |
| Jul | 78% | 44% | 5.5 | 11:55 |
| Aug | 74% | 31% | 6.2 | 11:00 |
| Sep | 72% | 28% | 6.7 | 12:06 |
| Oct | 72% | 38% | 6.7 | 12:12 |
| Nov | 72% | 45% | 6.5 | 12:17 |
| Dec | 74% | 52% | 6.1 | 12:20 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Fortaleza is like
The warmest month is December, with an average high of 30 °C86 °F and a low of 26 °C79 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 29 °C83 °F and lows 24 °C76 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 1.4 °C2.6 °F.
It is wet, with about 1,082 mm43 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is February–April, which brings 58% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: August–November. The wettest month is April (249 mm9.8 in), the driest is September (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 72% in October to 84% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 28%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 13 km/h (8 mph) in April to 24 km/h (15 mph) in September.
Best time to visit Fortaleza
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are July–December: average highs of 29 °C83 °F to 30 °C86 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 44 mm1.7 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is April, which is very wet (249 mm9.8 in) and humid (84% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Fortaleza weather by month
- January29 °C85 °F / 26 °C78 °F
- February29 °C84 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- March29 °C84 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- April28 °C83 °F / 26 °C79 °F
- May29 °C84 °F / 26 °C78 °F
- June28 °C83 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- July29 °C83 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- August29 °C84 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- September30 °C85 °F / 25 °C76 °F
- October30 °C86 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- November30 °C86 °F / 26 °C78 °F
- December30 °C86 °F / 26 °C79 °F
What to pack for Fortaleza
- Wetter months (January–June) — highs 2883 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 2577 to 26 °C79 °F, about 165 mm6.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (July–December) — highs 2983 to 30 °C86 °F, lows 2476 to 26 °C79 °F, about 15 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Fortaleza compares
Of the 223 places in Brazil covered by World Climates, Fortaleza is the 21st warmest by annual mean temperature and the 197th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Brazil climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Kralendijk (Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba , BSh), Kingstown (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, BSh) and Oranjestad (Aruba, BSh).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Caucaia (pop. 378,406). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Fortaleza, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Maracanaú 20 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,088 mm43 in
- Itapipoca 118 km · 27 °C81 °F · 950 mm37 in
- Sobral 201 km · 28 °C82 °F · 958 mm38 in
- Mossoró 211 km · 28 °C83 °F · 708 mm28 in
- Parnaíba 370 km · 28 °C82 °F · 1,102 mm43 in
- Juazeiro do Norte 398 km · 27 °C80 °F · 901 mm35 in
- São Gonçalo do Amarante 424 km · 27 °C81 °F · 974 mm38 in
- Natal 436 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,169 mm46 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Fortaleza?
December is the warmest month in Fortaleza, with an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) and an average low of 26 °C (79 °F).
What is the coldest month in Fortaleza?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 29 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (76 °F).
When does it rain the most in Fortaleza?
April is the wettest month with about 249 mm (9.8 in) of precipitation; September is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Fortaleza?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are July–December.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.