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Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte state, sits on the far northeastern tip of Brazil where the coast turns from north-facing to east-facing, on the Atlantic at approximately 5.79°S, 35.21°W. It has a tropical climate (Köppen As) — hot, sunny and breezy year-round — constantly cooled by strong trade winds, and is renowned as one of the sunniest, cleanest-aired cities in Brazil, sometimes called the 'City of Sun'.
There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures stay warm and very steady, with daytime highs around 30–31°C all year and warm nights, kept comfortable by near-constant strong ocean breezes. The drier, sunniest, most popular stretch runs from around September to February, when rainfall is low, skies are bright and the trade winds are at their most refreshing along the beaches.
Nor is there a true winter, but the rainy season falls in the middle of the year, from around March to July, when moist onshore winds bring the bulk of the annual rain, more cloud and higher humidity, though temperatures barely change. Even in this wetter stretch the rain tends to come in short bursts, and Natal remains one of the sunnier places in the country.
Natal receives on the order of 1,400–1,500 mm of rain a year, concentrated in the mid-year wet season from March to July, with a peak around April and May, while the second half of the year is markedly dry and sunny. The steady trade winds and abundant sunshine keep the air famously fresh. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.
Natal's defining feature is wind and sun: the powerful, near-constant trade winds off the Atlantic cool the tropical heat, keep the air famously clean and clear, and make the surrounding coast — with its vast dunes — a magnet for kitesurfing and buggy tours. Its position on Brazil's easternmost corner gives it abundant sunshine and one of the most agreeable tropical climates in the country.
To follow any single measurement in Natal 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.