Santa Cruz de la Sierra climate
Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) has a tropical savanna (dry winter) climate (Köppen Aw). The average temperature over the year is 25 °C77 °F, and about 1,139 mm45 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Santa Cruz de la Sierra climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3188 | 2272 | 2780 | 1696.7 |
| Feb | 3086 | 2271 | 2679 | 1505.9 |
| Mar | 3086 | 2170 | 2678 | 1154.5 |
| Apr | 2985 | 2068 | 2576 | 923.6 |
| May | 2780 | 1763 | 2272 | 853.4 |
| Jun | 2679 | 1661 | 2170 | 702.8 |
| Jul | 2780 | 1660 | 2170 | 381.5 |
| Aug | 2985 | 1763 | 2374 | 401.6 |
| Sep | 3290 | 2067 | 2679 | 481.9 |
| Oct | 3392 | 2272 | 2882 | 843.3 |
| Nov | 3391 | 2272 | 2781 | 1114.4 |
| Dec | 3289 | 2272 | 2781 | 1365.3 |
| Year | 3392 | 1660 | 2577 | 1,13945 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73% | 80% | 5.6 | 13:05 |
| Feb | 77% | 82% | 5.1 | 12:42 |
| Mar | 74% | 75% | 5.0 | 12:14 |
| Apr | 72% | 69% | 4.5 | 11:43 |
| May | 71% | 68% | 3.6 | 11:17 |
| Jun | 71% | 67% | 3.3 | 11:04 |
| Jul | 61% | 61% | 3.6 | 11:09 |
| Aug | 51% | 53% | 4.4 | 11:31 |
| Sep | 48% | 56% | 4.9 | 12:01 |
| Oct | 56% | 71% | 5.3 | 12:32 |
| Nov | 61% | 74% | 5.6 | 12:59 |
| Dec | 70% | 83% | 5.4 | 13:11 |
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 Santa Cruz de la Sierra is like
The warmest month is October, with an average high of 33 °C92 °F and a low of 22 °C72 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 27 °C80 °F and lows 16 °C60 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 6.5 °C11.6 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,139 mm45 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 40% of the annual total. The wettest month is January (169 mm6.7 in), the driest is July (38 mm1.5 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 48% in September to 77% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 53%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in April to 11 km/h (7 mph) in December. Daylight lasts from about 11.1 hours in June to 13.2 hours in December.
Best time to visit Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–August: average highs of 26 °C79 °F to 29 °C85 °F with 38 mm1.5 in to 85 mm3.4 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is hot, with average highs of 31 °C88 °F and very wet (169 mm6.7 in).
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.
Santa Cruz de la Sierra weather by month
- January31 °C88 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- February30 °C86 °F / 22 °C71 °F
- March30 °C86 °F / 21 °C70 °F
- April29 °C85 °F / 20 °C68 °F
- May27 °C80 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- June26 °C79 °F / 16 °C61 °F
- July27 °C80 °F / 16 °C60 °F
- August29 °C85 °F / 17 °C63 °F
- September32 °C90 °F / 20 °C67 °F
- October33 °C92 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- November33 °C91 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- December32 °C89 °F / 22 °C72 °F
What to pack for Santa Cruz de la Sierra
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 3086 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 2170 to 22 °C72 °F, about 136 mm5.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2679 to 33 °C92 °F, lows 1660 to 22 °C72 °F, about 65 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Santa Cruz de la Sierra compares
Of the 7 places in Bolivia covered by World Climates, Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 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 (seasons shifted for the other hemisphere where needed): Três Lagoas (Brazil, Aw), Araçatuba (Brazil, Aw) and Chiquimula (Guatemala, Aw).
Nearby places
- Sucre 260 km · 14 °C57 °F · 572 mm23 in
- Cochabamba 319 km · 17 °C63 °F · 498 mm20 in
- Potosí 337 km · 7 °C45 °F · 488 mm19 in
- Oruro 414 km · 8 °C47 °F · 481 mm19 in
- Tarija 447 km · 19 °C66 °F · 562 mm22 in
- La Paz 547 km · 8 °C47 °F · 647 mm25 in
- Vilhena 649 km · 23 °C74 °F · 1,738 mm68 in
- Tangará da Serra 703 km · 25 °C78 °F · 1,458 mm57 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Santa Cruz de la Sierra?
October is the warmest month in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, with an average high of 33 °C (92 °F) and an average low of 22 °C (72 °F).
What is the coldest month in Santa Cruz de la Sierra?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 27 °C (80 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (60 °F).
When does it rain the most in Santa Cruz de la Sierra?
January is the wettest month with about 169 mm (6.7 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 38 mm (1.5 in).
What is the best time to visit Santa Cruz de la Sierra?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–August.
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 489 m, while Santa Cruz de la Sierra lies at about 433 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.