Tarija climate
Tarija (Bolivia) has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average temperature over the year is 19 °C66 °F, and about 562 mm22 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Tarija climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2781 | 1559 | 2170 | 1265.0 |
| Feb | 2780 | 1559 | 2169 | 1064.2 |
| Mar | 2780 | 1457 | 2069 | 803.2 |
| Apr | 2780 | 1253 | 1966 | 230.9 |
| May | 2678 | 744 | 1661 | 50.2 |
| Jun | 2577 | 541 | 1559 | 20.1 |
| Jul | 2577 | 440 | 1559 | 30.1 |
| Aug | 2781 | 643 | 1662 | 20.1 |
| Sep | 2984 | 948 | 1966 | 70.3 |
| Oct | 3085 | 1254 | 2170 | 391.5 |
| Nov | 2985 | 1457 | 2271 | 562.2 |
| Dec | 2984 | 1559 | 2271 | 1124.4 |
| Year | 3085 | 440 | 1966 | 56222 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75% | 68% | 6.1 | 13:18 |
| Feb | 78% | 70% | 5.6 | 12:50 |
| Mar | 78% | 66% | 5.1 | 12:16 |
| Apr | 73% | 56% | 4.5 | 11:37 |
| May | 59% | 47% | 4.1 | 11:06 |
| Jun | 47% | 40% | 4.0 | 10:50 |
| Jul | 42% | 36% | 4.3 | 10:56 |
| Aug | 43% | 30% | 5.1 | 11:23 |
| Sep | 49% | 39% | 5.6 | 12:00 |
| Oct | 59% | 56% | 5.8 | 12:38 |
| Nov | 64% | 61% | 6.1 | 13:11 |
| Dec | 70% | 70% | 5.9 | 13:26 |
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 Tarija is like
The warmest month is December, with an average high of 29 °C84 °F and a low of 15 °C59 °F. The coldest is July, when highs average 25 °C77 °F and lows 4 °C40 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 7 °C12.6 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 562 mm22 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 61% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (126 mm5.0 in), the driest is August (2 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 42% in July to 78% in March. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 30%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (5 mph) in May to 10 km/h (6 mph) in October. Daylight lasts from about 10.8 hours in June to 13.4 hours in December.
Best time to visit Tarija
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are March–November: average highs of 25 °C77 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 2 mm0.1 in to 80 mm3.2 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 Tarija
- Wetter months (November–March) — highs 2780 to 29 °C85 °F, lows 1457 to 15 °C59 °F, about 96 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (April–October) — highs 2577 to 30 °C85 °F, lows 440 to 12 °C54 °F, about 12 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Tarija compares
Compared with Sucre, about 284 km to the north, Tarija is on average 5.2 °C9.4 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in February (6.1 °C10.9 °F warmer).
Of the 7 places in Bolivia covered by World Climates, Tarija is the 2nd warmest by annual mean temperature and the 4th 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: Gweru (Zimbabwe, Cwa), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe, BSh) and Polokwane (South Africa, BSh).
Nearby places
- Potosí 242 km · 7 °C45 °F · 488 mm19 in
- Sucre 284 km · 14 °C57 °F · 572 mm23 in
- San Salvador de Jujuy 301 km · 19 °C66 °F · 790 mm31 in
- Salta 370 km · 21 °C70 °F · 783 mm31 in
- Calama 444 km · 16 °C61 °F · 33 mm1.3 in
- Santa Cruz de la Sierra 447 km · 25 °C77 °F · 1,139 mm45 in
- Oruro 467 km · 8 °C47 °F · 481 mm19 in
- Cochabamba 486 km · 17 °C63 °F · 498 mm20 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Tarija?
December is the warmest month in Tarija, with an average high of 29 °C (84 °F) and an average low of 15 °C (59 °F).
What is the coldest month in Tarija?
July is the coldest month, with an average high of 25 °C (77 °F) and an average low of 4 °C (40 °F).
When does it rain the most in Tarija?
January is the wettest month with about 126 mm (5.0 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 2 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Tarija?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are March–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 2,962 m, while Tarija lies at about 1,870 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +7.1 °C12.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.