Brazil climates

Brazil's climate by regions and classification

There are several climate classifications based on the study of the dynamics of air masses, elements and climate factors.

Strahler's climate classification belongs to a school of climatology called Dynamics, as it is based on the general dynamics of the atmosphere, through air masses.

The classification of Brazilian climates proposed by Arthur Strahler, for example, is based on the areas of the Earth's surface dominated or controlled by air masses.

Another classification, that of Wilhelm Köppen, studies climate elements separately. It is predominantly based on temperature, precipitation and the distribution of the values of these two climate elements during the seasons.

The location of most of the country in the intertropical zone and the predominance of low altitudes are responsible for the hot climate variations (averages above 20o C), controlled by some air masses and fronts.

See the Map of Brazil with Climate classification by regions

EQUATORIAL CLIMATE

It dominates the approximately 5 million km² of the Legal Amazon. Which corresponds to the Amazon: Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Rondônia, almost the entire state of Pará (except the southeast portion), the northwest of Maranhão and Mato Grosso and part of Roraima. It is characterized by average temperatures between 24ºC and 26ºC and the coldest month being above 18ºC, with an annual temperature range of up to 3 degrees, abundant rainfall (more than 2,500 mm/year) and well distributed. The action of the continental equatorial mass (mEc) produces local (or convention) rainfall through evapotranspiration. In winter, the region occasionally receives cold fronts originating from the Atlantic polar mass (mPa), causing cold weather. Atmospheric humidity is high, generally greater than 80%.

TROPICAL WEATHER

The tropical climate covers almost the entire area corresponding to the Brazilian plateau, and dominates large areas of the Central plateau and the Northeast and Southeast regions. Its temperatures are also high, but this type of climate differs from the equatorial one because it has two seasons well defined by rain: It has a hot, dry winter and a hot, rainy summer.

Average temperatures are above 20o C, with an annual temperature range of up to 7 degrees and rainfall of 1,000 to 1,500 mm/year.

But for the Northeast, the dry season is becoming longer, making the transition to a semi-arid climate.

On the eastern coast of the Northeast (from Rio Grande do Norte to the coast of Bahia), rain becomes abundant again, falling predominantly in autumn and winter.

Due to the influence of latitude (highest) and relief, in the Southeast these characteristics undergo some changes, which give rise to the tropical high-altitude climate.

ALTITUDE TROPICAL CLIMATE

It corresponds to the highest areas of the Brazilian relief, represented by elevations of the Mar and Mantiqueira mountains, as well as the plateau that extends to the north of São Paulo, south of Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul. The monthly average temperatures that characterize this climate are between 18o and 22o C, with annual temperature ranges of 7 to 9 degrees and precipitation between 1,000 and 1,500 mm/year, with no major differences between the high-altitude tropical climate and the tropical one, as the rainiest months, in the areas of The occurrence of this type of climate coincides with spring and summer (September to March) and droughts coincide with autumn and winter (April to September). Summer has more intense rainfall, due to the humid action of the Atlantic tropical mass (mTa). In winter, cold masses originating from the Atlantic polar mass (mPa) can cause frosts with temperatures below 0ºC.

TROPICAL ATLANTIC CLIMATE

It operates on the Atlantic façade from the south of Rio Grande do Norte to the south of Rio Grande do Sul. Average temperatures between 18o and 26o C, with increasing thermal amplitudes as latitude increases. Abundant rainfall exceeds 1,200 mm/year, but is unevenly distributed. On the Northeast coast, they are concentrated in autumn and winter and further south in summer.

SEMI-ARID CLIMATE

The semi-arid climate is predominantly characterized by a lack of rain. This type of climate dominates the northeastern hinterland.

When there are normal years, the rain that falls during the appropriate period meets the needs of the inhabitants. The situation becomes calamitous only when they stop falling in due season, thus prolonging the dry season.

In fact, abnormal droughts do not only occur in the area comprised by the northeastern hinterland, but also cover areas further away from the influences of the semi-arid climate. It is characterized by high thermal averages, around 27ºC, with extremes, such as Sobral, in Ceará, with a monthly average of 28.9ºC (in December). Annual thermal amplitude around 5 degrees. Few and irregular rains (less than 800 mm/year).

SUBTROPICAL CLIMATE

It occurs in most of the southern plateau. It predominates in the temperate zone south of the Tropic of Capricorn, except in the north of Paraná. It is characterized by average temperatures below 18ºC, with an annual temperature range between 9 and 13 degrees. In higher areas, the summer is mild and the winter is harsh, with constant frost and occasional snowfall. Lots of rain (between 1,500 and 2,000 mm/year), and well distributed.