Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará state, sits on the northeastern Atlantic coast of Brazil, close to the equator at approximately 3.73°S, 38.52°W. It has a tropical climate (Köppen Aw) — hot and sunny year-round — tempered by constant sea breezes, with the year unusually divided into a rainy first half and a dry, sunny second half rather than by any change in temperature.

There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures stay warm and remarkably steady, with daytime highs around 30–31°C all year and warm nights, cooled by reliable ocean breezes that make the heat comfortable despite the equatorial latitude. The first half of the year, from roughly February to May, is the rainy season, when heavy but usually short-lived downpours — often in the early morning or at dusk — bring higher humidity.

Nor is there a true winter, but the dry season from around July to December is hot, very sunny and breezy, with little rain and lower humidity. Fortaleza sits in one of the sunniest parts of Brazil, with nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, and this bright, dry, wind-cooled stretch — ideal for its famous beaches — is the most popular time to visit.

Fortaleza receives on the order of 1,400–1,600 mm of rain a year, strongly concentrated in the rainy season from February to May — March and April are the wettest, exceeding 200 mm — while September to November is very dry, sometimes under 10 mm. The rain tends to fall in short, heavy bursts that clear to sunshine. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Fortaleza's weather is defined by the steady trade winds off the Atlantic, which cool the equatorial heat and make its climate feel far more comfortable than the temperatures alone suggest — the same reliable winds that make the Ceará coast a world-renowned kitesurfing destination. The sharp split between a rainy first half of the year and a bright, dry, breezy second half is the region's other distinctive feature.

To follow any single measurement in Fortaleza 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.