Potosí climate
Potosí (Bolivia) has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). The average temperature over the year is 7 °C45 °F, and about 488 mm19 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Potosí climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1560 | 236 | 948 | 1074.2 |
| Feb | 1559 | 236 | 948 | 983.9 |
| Mar | 1559 | 235 | 847 | 622.5 |
| Apr | 1559 | 032 | 846 | 220.9 |
| May | 1457 | −326 | 542 | 40.2 |
| Jun | 1355 | −424 | 440 | 140.6 |
| Jul | 1355 | −523 | 439 | 40.2 |
| Aug | 1559 | −425 | 542 | 40.1 |
| Sep | 1661 | −229 | 745 | 120.5 |
| Oct | 1763 | 133 | 948 | 361.4 |
| Nov | 1864 | 235 | 1050 | 351.4 |
| Dec | 1762 | 337 | 1050 | 893.5 |
| Year | 1864 | −523 | 745 | 48819 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71% | 70% | 6.4 | 13:11 |
| Feb | 75% | 69% | 6.2 | 12:46 |
| Mar | 73% | 55% | 6.1 | 12:15 |
| Apr | 67% | 39% | 5.9 | 11:40 |
| May | 52% | 28% | 5.5 | 11:12 |
| Jun | 45% | 23% | 5.1 | 10:57 |
| Jul | 42% | 22% | 5.3 | 11:03 |
| Aug | 42% | 20% | 6.1 | 11:27 |
| Sep | 48% | 31% | 6.6 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 55% | 43% | 7.1 | 12:35 |
| Nov | 58% | 50% | 7.2 | 13:04 |
| Dec | 65% | 65% | 6.7 | 13:18 |
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 Potosí is like
The warmest month is November, with an average high of 18 °C64 °F and a low of 2 °C35 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 13 °C55 °F and lows −5 °C23 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 5.7 °C10.3 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 488 mm19 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 60% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (107 mm4.2 in), the driest is August (4 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 42% in July to 75% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 20%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 8 km/h (5 mph) in April to 11 km/h (7 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 11.0 hours in June to 13.3 hours in December.
Best time to visit Potosí
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are October and November: average highs of 17 °C63 °F to 18 °C64 °F with 35 mm1.4 in to 36 mm1.4 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 Potosí
- Wetter months (December–March) — highs 1559 to 17 °C62 °F, lows 235 to 3 °C37 °F, about 89 mm3.5 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–November) — highs 1355 to 18 °C64 °F, lows −523 to 2 °C35 °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 Potosí compares
Compared with Sucre, about 80 km to the northeast, Potosí is on average 6.3 °C11.3 °F cooler and receives 15% less precipitation (488 mm19 in vs 572 mm23 in). The difference is largest in June (6.8 °C12.3 °F cooler).
Of the 7 places in Bolivia covered by World Climates, Potosí is the 7th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th 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), Puno (Peru, BSk) and Huancayo (Peru, BSk).
Nearby places
- Sucre 80 km · 14 °C57 °F · 572 mm23 in
- Oruro 228 km · 8 °C47 °F · 481 mm19 in
- Tarija 242 km · 19 °C66 °F · 562 mm22 in
- Cochabamba 249 km · 17 °C63 °F · 498 mm20 in
- Santa Cruz de la Sierra 337 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,139 mm45 in
- La Paz 426 km · 8 °C47 °F · 647 mm25 in
- Calama 459 km · 16 °C61 °F · 33 mm1.3 in
- Alto Hospicio 461 km · 19 °C66 °F · 8 mm0.3 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Potosí?
November is the warmest month in Potosí, with an average high of 18 °C (64 °F) and an average low of 2 °C (35 °F).
What is the coldest month in Potosí?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 13 °C (55 °F) and an average low of -5 °C (23 °F).
When does it rain the most in Potosí?
January is the wettest month with about 107 mm (4.2 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 4 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Potosí?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are October and 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 3,670 m, while Potosí lies at about 3,967 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by −1.9 °C3.5 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.