Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, sits on the Suriname River near the Atlantic coast of northeastern South America, on a low coastal plain at approximately 5.85°N, 55.20°W. It has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af) — hot, humid and rainy year-round, cooled by trade winds — with two rainy seasons and two drier spells.

There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures stay hot and steady, with daytime highs around 31–32°C and warm, humid nights near 23–24°C, tempered by the northeast trade winds. The main rainy season runs from late April to August, when heavy downpours and thunderstorms are frequent; a shorter wet spell comes in December and January.

There is no true winter, but the drier spells — from February to April and again from August to November — bring more sunshine, slightly lower humidity and less rain, though showers are never far away. Temperatures barely change through the year, and the trade winds keep the low coast pleasantly breezy.

Paramaribo is wet, receiving on the order of 2,100–2,300 mm of rain a year, delivered in two pulses — a main wet season from April to August and a secondary one in December and January — separated by drier spells; heavy downpours regularly flood the low-lying coastal plain. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Paramaribo lies on Suriname's low coastal plain, much of it near or below sea level and protected by dykes inherited from Dutch engineers, making it vulnerable to flooding when heavy rain coincides with high tides — a growing concern as sea levels rise. It lies well south of the Atlantic hurricane belt.

To follow any single measurement in Paramaribo 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.