Oruro climate
Oruro (Bolivia) has a subtropical highland (dry winter) climate (Köppen Cwb). The average temperature over the year is 8 °C47 °F, and about 481 mm19 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Oruro climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1762 | 438 | 1050 | 1003.9 | 0 |
| Feb | 1762 | 338 | 1050 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Mar | 1762 | 337 | 1050 | 532.1 | 1 |
| Apr | 1661 | 134 | 948 | 190.8 | 6 |
| May | 1558 | −228 | 643 | 60.2 | 22 |
| Jun | 1356 | −326 | 541 | 451.8 | 27 |
| Jul | 1355 | −425 | 540 | 70.3 | 30 |
| Aug | 1559 | −327 | 643 | 110.4 | 27 |
| Sep | 1662 | 031 | 846 | 170.7 | 14 |
| Oct | 1864 | 235 | 1050 | 251.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 1966 | 338 | 1152 | 291.2 | 3 |
| Dec | 1864 | 439 | 1152 | 803.1 | 0 |
| Year | 1966 | −425 | 847 | 48119 | 137 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69% | 73% | 6.5 | 13:06 |
| Feb | 72% | 72% | 6.4 | 12:42 |
| Mar | 72% | 59% | 6.4 | 12:14 |
| Apr | 67% | 43% | 6.1 | 11:42 |
| May | 56% | 33% | 5.7 | 11:17 |
| Jun | 55% | 30% | 5.3 | 11:03 |
| Jul | 52% | 30% | 5.5 | 11:09 |
| Aug | 52% | 29% | 6.2 | 11:31 |
| Sep | 55% | 35% | 6.7 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 56% | 46% | 7.2 | 12:32 |
| Nov | 55% | 51% | 7.5 | 12:59 |
| Dec | 63% | 66% | 6.9 | 13:12 |
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 Oruro is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 19 °C66 °F and a low of 3 °C38 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 13 °C55 °F and lows −4 °C25 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6.5 °C11.7 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 481 mm19 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 56% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: April and May and July–September. The wettest month is January (100 mm3.9 in), the driest is May (6 mm0.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 52% in August to 72% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 29%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in April to 10 km/h (6 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in June to 13.2 hours in December.
Best time to visit Oruro
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are November: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 19 °C66 °F with 29 mm1.2 in to 29 mm1.2 in of precipitation per month.
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.
What to pack for Oruro
- Wetter months (December–March, June) — highs 1356 to 18 °C64 °F, lows −326 to 4 °C39 °F, about 73 mm2.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Drier months (April and May, July–November) — highs 1355 to 19 °C66 °F, lows −425 to 3 °C38 °F, about 16 mm0.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
How Oruro compares
Compared with Cochabamba, about 119 km to the northeast, Oruro is on average 8.7 °C15.7 °F cooler and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in June (9.8 °C17.7 °F cooler).
Of the 7 places in Bolivia covered by World Climates, Oruro is the 5th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 7th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Bolivia climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Juliaca (Peru, Cwb), Huancayo (Peru, BSk) and Puno (Peru, BSk).
Nearby places
- Cochabamba 119 km · 17 °C63 °F · 498 mm20 in
- La Paz 198 km · 8 °C47 °F · 647 mm25 in
- Sucre 226 km · 14 °C57 °F · 572 mm23 in
- Potosí 228 km · 7 °C45 °F · 488 mm19 in
- Tacna 334 km · 26 °C79 °F · 48 mm1.9 in
- Arica 343 km · 27 °C80 °F · 26 mm1.0 in
- Puno 391 km · 10 °C50 °F · 421 mm17 in
- Iquique 407 km · 23 °C73 °F · 11 mm0.4 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Oruro?
November is the warmest month in Oruro, with an average high of 19 °C (66 °F) and an average low of 3 °C (38 °F).
What is the coldest month in Oruro?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 13 °C (55 °F) and an average low of -4 °C (25 °F).
When does it rain the most in Oruro?
January is the wettest month with about 100 mm (3.9 in) of precipitation; May is the driest with about 6 mm (0.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Oruro?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are November.
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.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 3,976 m, while Oruro lies at about 3,885 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.6 °C1.1 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.