Brasília, Brazil's purpose-built capital, stands on the high central plateau of the country at around 1,170 metres above sea level, at approximately 15.79°S, 47.88°W. Despite its low tropical latitude, its altitude keeps temperatures moderate year-round, and it has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) with a sharply defined split between a wet summer and a very dry winter. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are reversed relative to the Northern.

The wet season runs from roughly October to April and coincides with the warmest part of the year. Daytime highs typically sit around 26–28°C — warm but rarely scorching thanks to the elevation — with comfortable nights. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms are frequent and often heavy, and the landscape turns green under the regular rain. Humidity is high through these months, a welcome contrast to the parched winter.

The dry season, from May to September, is Brasília's defining feature. Days stay pleasantly warm, with highs around 26–28°C, but nights are cooler and the air becomes extraordinarily dry — relative humidity can plunge to 15–20% or lower in August and September, rivalling a desert, which brings dry skin, dust and a raised risk of grass fires. Rain in these months is almost non-existent, and the sky stays a hazy blue for weeks on end.

Brasília receives a substantial 1,400–1,600 mm of rain a year, but it is remarkably concentrated: the great majority falls between November and March, while June, July and August can pass with essentially no rain at all. The wet-season rain arrives mostly as intense afternoon thunderstorms. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

The most striking aspect of Brasília's climate is the severity of the dry-season low humidity, which regularly falls to single- or low-double-digit percentages in the late winter — health authorities routinely issue advisories to stay hydrated. The elevation moderates what would otherwise be a hot tropical location, giving the capital its characteristically mild, spring-like warmth throughout the year.

To follow any single measurement in Brasilia more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.