The climate in Brazil varies considerably from mostly tropical north to temperate zones south of the Tropic of Capricorn.
Temperatures
Temperatures below the equator are high, averaging above, but not reaching the summer extremes of up to in the temperate zones. There is little seasonal variation near the equator, although at times it can get cool enough to need to wear a jacket, especially in the rain. Average temperatures below the Tropic of Capricorn are mild, ranging from to. The highest temperature officially registered in Brazil was in Bom Jesus, Piauí state on 21 November 2005. The lowest temperature officially recorded in Brazil was in Caçador, Santa Catarina state, on 11 June 1952. However, the summit of Morro da Igreja, a mountain situated in the municipality of Urubici, also in Santa Catarina, recorded a temperature of on 30 June 1996 unofficially. There are frosts south of the Tropic of Capricorn during the winter. Although most of Brazil lies in the tropics, more than 60 percent of the country's population live in areas which are cooled either by altitude, sea winds or polar fronts. While the coastal cities of Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Salvador can get extremely hot, plateau cities such as São Paulo, Brasília and Belo Horizonte have mild climates, and the southern cities of Porto Alegre and Curitiba have mild winters, but while Curitiba has a warm summer due to the average elevation of, Porto Alegre has a hot summer, with an average elevation of only. Despite the popular image of the Amazon as a region of blistering heat, temperatures of more than are unusual. The annual average temperature in the region is, with not much variation between the warmest and the coldest months. The hottest part of Brazil is the northeast, where temperatures of more than 38 °C are frequently recorded during the dry season between May and November. Along the Atlantic coast from Recife to Rio de Janeiro, average temperatures range from. Inland, on higher ground, temperatures are lower, ranging from. South of Rio the seasons are more defined and the range of temperatures significantly wider, with the annual average falling between. The cities of Belo Horizonte and Brasília have moderate temperatures, usually between, because of their elevation of approximately. Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Salvador on the coast have warm climates, with average temperatures of each month ranging from, but enjoy constant trade winds. The cities of São Paulo, Curitiba, Florianópolis and Porto Alegre have a subtropical climate similar to that of southern United States, and temperatures can fall below freezing in winter.
Precipitation
and mountainous of the mountains of the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, and Paraná and it is possible, but very rare, in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Mato Grosso do Sul. Precipitation levels vary widely. Most of Brazil has moderate rainfall of between a year, with most of the rain falling in the summer south of the Equator. The Amazon region is notoriously humid, with rainfall generally more than per year and reaching as high as in parts of the western Amazon and near Belém. It is less widely known that, despite high annual precipitation, the Amazon forest has a three- to five-month dry season, the timing of which varies according to location north or south of the equator. High and relatively regular levels of precipitation in the Amazon contrast sharply with the dryness of the semiarid Northeast, where rainfall is highly erratic and there are severe droughts in cycles averaging seven years. The Northeast is the driest part of the country. The region also constitutes the hottest part of Brazil, where during the dry season between May and November, temperatures of more than are common. However, the sertão, a region of semidesert vegetation used primarily for low-density ranching, turns green when there is rain. Most of the Center-West has of rain per year, with a pronounced dry season in the middle of the year, while the South and most of the East is without a distinct dry season. Brazil's most intense rain falls around the mouth of the Amazon near the city of Belém, and also in the upper regions of Amazonia where more than of rain fall every year. The warm weather lets many plant grow here. Most of Brazil has moderate rainfall of between a year, most of it coming between December and April. The driest part of the country is the northeast, where rainfall is erratic and the evaporation rate very high, making it difficult to grow crops.
Extreme weather
Because the South Atlantic basin is generally not a favorable environment for their development, Brazil has only rarely experienced tropical cyclones. The country's coastal population centers are considered less burdened with the need to prepare for cyclones, as are cities at similar latitudes in the United States and Asia.
