Rio de Janeiro climate
Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am). The average temperature over the year is 24 °C75 °F, and about 1,469 mm58 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Rio de Janeiro climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 2088.2 |
| Feb | 2984 | 2475 | 2679 | 1536.0 |
| Mar | 2883 | 2474 | 2679 | 1736.8 |
| Apr | 2781 | 2272 | 2577 | 1014.0 |
| May | 2577 | 2069 | 2373 | 712.8 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1966 | 2272 | 491.9 |
| Jul | 2476 | 1865 | 2171 | 451.8 |
| Aug | 2577 | 1865 | 2271 | 421.6 |
| Sep | 2678 | 1966 | 2272 | 692.7 |
| Oct | 2680 | 2068 | 2374 | 1084.2 |
| Nov | 2780 | 2170 | 2475 | 2208.7 |
| Dec | 2882 | 2373 | 2577 | 2329.1 |
| Year | 2984 | 1865 | 2475 | 1,46958 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 83% | 71% | 5.8 | 13:24 |
| Feb | 82% | 62% | 6.0 | 12:53 |
| Mar | 83% | 66% | 5.1 | 12:17 |
| Apr | 82% | 56% | 4.5 | 11:35 |
| May | 80% | 56% | 3.7 | 11:02 |
| Jun | 80% | 49% | 3.5 | 10:44 |
| Jul | 78% | 45% | 3.6 | 10:51 |
| Aug | 77% | 45% | 4.3 | 11:20 |
| Sep | 77% | 57% | 4.6 | 11:00 |
| Oct | 79% | 70% | 5.0 | 12:40 |
| Nov | 82% | 79% | 5.0 | 13:15 |
| Dec | 84% | 75% | 5.6 | 13:32 |
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 Rio de Janeiro is like
The warmest month is February, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 24 °C75 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 24 °C76 °F and lows 18 °C65 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 4.9 °C8.8 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,469 mm58 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 45% of the annual total. The wettest month is December (232 mm9.1 in), the driest is August (42 mm1.6 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 77% in August to 84% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 45%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (5 mph) in March to 11 km/h (7 mph) in September. Daylight lasts from about 10.7 hours in June to 13.5 hours in December.
Best time to visit Rio de Janeiro
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 24 °C76 °F to 26 °C78 °F with 42 mm1.6 in to 71 mm2.8 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is December, which is very wet (232 mm9.1 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.
Rio de Janeiro weather by month
- January29 °C84 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- February29 °C84 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- March28 °C83 °F / 24 °C74 °F
- April27 °C81 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- May25 °C77 °F / 20 °C69 °F
- June25 °C77 °F / 19 °C66 °F
- July24 °C76 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- August25 °C77 °F / 18 °C65 °F
- September26 °C78 °F / 19 °C66 °F
- October26 °C80 °F / 20 °C68 °F
- November27 °C80 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- December28 °C82 °F / 23 °C73 °F
What to pack for Rio de Janeiro
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2780 to 29 °C84 °F, lows 2170 to 24 °C75 °F, about 197 mm7.8 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 2476 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 1865 to 22 °C72 °F, about 69 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Rio de Janeiro compares
Compared with São Paulo, about 360 km to the west, Rio de Janeiro is on average 4 °C7.2 °F warmer and receives 9% more precipitation (1,469 mm58 in vs 1,352 mm53 in). The difference is largest in June (5.5 °C9.9 °F warmer).
Of the 223 places in Brazil covered by World Climates, Rio de Janeiro is the 104th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 61st 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): West Palm Beach (United States, Am), Avarua (Cook Islands, Af) and Nukualofa (Tonga, Af).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Duque de Caxias (pop. 866,347), Belford Roxo (pop. 518,384), Niterói (pop. 515,317), São João de Meriti (pop. 466,536), Barra da Tijuca (pop. 421,438), São Gonçalo (pop. 285,439) and Nilópolis (pop. 155,500). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Rio de Janeiro, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Nova Iguaçu 32 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,522 mm60 in
- Maricá 37 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,469 mm58 in
- Itaboraí 38 km · 24 °C76 °F · 1,357 mm53 in
- Queimados 44 km · 25 °C76 °F · 1,303 mm51 in
- Petrópolis 45 km · 19 °C67 °F · 1,357 mm53 in
- Araruama 86 km · 24 °C75 °F · 1,362 mm54 in
- Nova Friburgo 96 km · 19 °C66 °F · 1,336 mm53 in
- Volta Redonda 104 km · 23 °C73 °F · 1,378 mm54 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Rio de Janeiro?
February is the warmest month in Rio de Janeiro, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 24 °C (75 °F).
What is the coldest month in Rio de Janeiro?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 24 °C (76 °F) and an average low of 18 °C (65 °F).
When does it rain the most in Rio de Janeiro?
December is the wettest month with about 232 mm (9.1 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 42 mm (1.6 in).
What is the best time to visit Rio de Janeiro?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–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 81 m, while Rio de Janeiro lies at about 12 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.