Petrópolis climate
Petrópolis (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C67 °F, and about 1,357 mm53 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Petrópolis climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2780 | 1763 | 2271 | 2168.5 |
| Feb | 2780 | 1763 | 2271 | 1405.5 |
| Mar | 2678 | 1662 | 2170 | 1576.2 |
| Apr | 2476 | 1559 | 2067 | 843.3 |
| May | 2272 | 1254 | 1763 | 592.3 |
| Jun | 2271 | 1152 | 1662 | 391.5 |
| Jul | 2272 | 1050 | 1661 | 371.5 |
| Aug | 2475 | 1151 | 1763 | 371.4 |
| Sep | 2678 | 1254 | 1966 | 612.4 |
| Oct | 2780 | 1457 | 2069 | 1003.9 |
| Nov | 2678 | 1559 | 2069 | 1997.8 |
| Dec | 2679 | 1662 | 2171 | 2289.0 |
| Year | 2780 | 1050 | 1967 | 1,35753 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 71% | 5.8 | 13:22 |
| Feb | 81% | 62% | 6.0 | 12:52 |
| Mar | 83% | 66% | 5.1 | 12:17 |
| Apr | 84% | 56% | 4.5 | 11:36 |
| May | 83% | 56% | 3.7 | 11:03 |
| Jun | 80% | 49% | 3.5 | 10:46 |
| Jul | 77% | 45% | 3.6 | 10:53 |
| Aug | 73% | 45% | 4.3 | 11:21 |
| Sep | 71% | 57% | 4.6 | 11:00 |
| Oct | 72% | 70% | 5.0 | 12:39 |
| Nov | 79% | 79% | 5.0 | 13:14 |
| Dec | 81% | 75% | 5.6 | 13:30 |
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 Petrópolis is like
The warmest month is January, with an average high of 27 °C80 °F and a low of 17 °C63 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 22 °C72 °F and lows 10 °C50 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.8 °C10.4 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,357 mm53 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 47% of the annual total. The wettest month is December (228 mm9.0 in), the driest is August (37 mm1.4 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 71% in September to 84% in April. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 45%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 3 km/h (2 mph) in March to 4 km/h (3 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 10.8 hours in June to 13.5 hours in December.
Best time to visit Petrópolis
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–September: average highs of 22 °C71 °F to 26 °C78 °F with 37 mm1.4 in to 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (228 mm9.0 in) and humid (81% 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.
What to pack for Petrópolis
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2678 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1559 to 17 °C63 °F, about 188 mm7.4 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 (April–October) — highs 2271 to 27 °C80 °F, lows 1050 to 15 °C59 °F, about 60 mm2.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Petrópolis compares
Compared with Nova Iguaçu, about 40 km to the southwest, Petrópolis is on average 4.4 °C8 °F cooler and receives 11% less precipitation (1,357 mm53 in vs 1,522 mm60 in). The difference is largest in May (5.4 °C9.7 °F cooler).
Of the 223 places in Brazil covered by World Climates, Petrópolis is the 207th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 92nd 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: Pinetown (South Africa, Cfa), Pietermaritzburg (South Africa, Cfb) and Mdantsane (South Africa, Cfa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Magé (pop. 244,142). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Petrópolis, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Nova Iguaçu 40 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,522 mm60 in
- Itaboraí 42 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,357 mm53 in
- Rio de Janeiro 45 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,469 mm58 in
- Queimados 45 km · 25 °C76 °F · 1,303 mm51 in
- Maricá 59 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,469 mm58 in
- Nova Friburgo 71 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,336 mm53 in
- Juiz de Fora 84 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,347 mm53 in
- Araruama 95 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,362 mm54 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Petrópolis?
January is the warmest month in Petrópolis, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
What is the coldest month in Petrópolis?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 22 °C (72 °F) and an average low of 10 °C (50 °F).
When does it rain the most in Petrópolis?
December is the wettest month with about 228 mm (9.0 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 37 mm (1.4 in).
What is the best time to visit Petrópolis?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–September.
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 420 m, while Petrópolis lies at about 819 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −2.6 °C4.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.