Maracaibo climate
Maracaibo (Venezuela) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 29 °C84 °F, and about 678 mm27 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Maracaibo climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3392 | 2373 | 2882 | 70.3 |
| Feb | 3493 | 2373 | 2883 | 50.2 |
| Mar | 3494 | 2374 | 2984 | 220.8 |
| Apr | 3594 | 2475 | 2985 | 441.7 |
| May | 3594 | 2576 | 3085 | 1003.9 |
| Jun | 3596 | 2577 | 3086 | 582.3 |
| Jul | 3696 | 2577 | 3087 | 431.7 |
| Aug | 3696 | 2577 | 3087 | 602.4 |
| Sep | 3594 | 2577 | 3085 | 893.5 |
| Oct | 3391 | 2476 | 2983 | 1335.3 |
| Nov | 3290 | 2475 | 2882 | 833.3 |
| Dec | 3391 | 2373 | 2882 | 341.3 |
| Year | 3696 | 2373 | 2984 | 67827 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67% | 29% | 5.5 | 11:34 |
| Feb | 63% | 29% | 6.0 | 11:47 |
| Mar | 63% | 48% | 5.9 | 12:03 |
| Apr | 65% | 70% | 5.5 | 12:21 |
| May | 69% | 75% | 5.3 | 12:36 |
| Jun | 67% | 67% | 5.6 | 12:45 |
| Jul | 65% | 63% | 5.8 | 12:41 |
| Aug | 66% | 65% | 5.8 | 12:28 |
| Sep | 71% | 69% | 5.6 | 12:10 |
| Oct | 77% | 73% | 5.1 | 11:52 |
| Nov | 78% | 64% | 4.9 | 11:37 |
| Dec | 73% | 41% | 5.1 | 11:30 |
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 Maracaibo is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 36 °C96 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is December, when highs average 33 °C91 °F and lows 23 °C73 °F. Temperatures barely change through the year: the warmest and the coolest month differ by only 2.6 °C4.7 °F.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 678 mm27 in. The wettest three-month stretch is September–November, which brings 45% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January and February. The wettest month is October (133 mm5.3 in), the driest is February (5 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 63% in March to 78% in November. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 29%) are typical of January. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 2 km/h (1 mph) in September to 5 km/h (3 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 11.5 hours in December to 12.7 hours in June.
Best time to visit Maracaibo
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are December and January: average highs of 33 °C91 °F to 33 °C92 °F with 7 mm0.3 in to 34 mm1.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is October, which is hot, with average highs of 33 °C91 °F and humid (77% 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.
Maracaibo weather by month
- January33 °C92 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- February34 °C93 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- March34 °C94 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- April35 °C94 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- May35 °C94 °F / 25 °C76 °F
- June35 °C96 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- July36 °C96 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- August36 °C96 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- September35 °C94 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- October33 °C91 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- November32 °C90 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- December33 °C91 °F / 23 °C73 °F
What to pack for Maracaibo
- Wetter months (May and June, August–November) — highs 3290 to 36 °C96 °F, lows 2475 to 25 °C77 °F, about 87 mm3.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Drier months (December–April, July) — highs 3391 to 36 °C96 °F, lows 2373 to 25 °C77 °F, about 26 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
How Maracaibo compares
Of the 43 places in Venezuela covered by World Climates, Maracaibo is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 40th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Venezuela climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Valledupar (Colombia, Aw), Maicao (Colombia, BSh) and Port-au-Prince (Haiti, BSh).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains La Concepción (pop. 120,478). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Maracaibo, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Cabimas 32 km · 30 °C86 °F · 704 mm28 in
- Ciudad Ojeda 59 km · 29 °C85 °F · 876 mm34 in
- Maicao 107 km · 28 °C83 °F · 675 mm27 in
- Machiques 122 km · 29 °C84 °F · 781 mm31 in
- Riohacha 173 km · 28 °C82 °F · 931 mm37 in
- Carora 175 km · 27 °C80 °F · 898 mm35 in
- Valledupar 181 km · 28 °C83 °F · 718 mm28 in
- Valera 184 km · 27 °C81 °F · 1,075 mm42 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Maracaibo?
August is the warmest month in Maracaibo, with an average high of 36 °C (96 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Maracaibo?
December is the coldest month, with an average high of 33 °C (91 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (73 °F).
When does it rain the most in Maracaibo?
October is the wettest month with about 133 mm (5.3 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 5 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Maracaibo?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are December and January.
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.