Maracaibo, Venezuela's second city, sits on the western shore of the narrow strait connecting Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela, on a low, hot coastal plain at approximately 10.65°N, 71.65°W. It has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) — relentlessly hot and humid — with a short wet season and remarkably little rain for the tropics.

There is no summer in the temperate sense: temperatures stay hot and steady, with daytime highs around 33–35°C and sultry nights near 25–26°C, and the humidity off the lake makes the heat oppressive. Maracaibo is among the hottest cities in South America. The wet season runs from September to November, when heavy afternoon downpours briefly break the heat.

There is no true winter, but the long dry season from December to April brings hot, sunny, breezy days with almost no rain and slightly lower humidity, as the trade winds sweep across the plain. Temperatures barely change; the difference between seasons is one of rainfall and humidity rather than heat.

Maracaibo is dry, receiving only around 500–600 mm of rain a year — semi-arid levels — concentrated in the wet season from September to November, while December to April is nearly rainless; the surrounding mountains shelter the basin from the trade winds' moisture. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Lake Maracaibo hosts one of the most extraordinary weather phenomena on earth: the Catatumbo lightning, where the Catatumbo River meets the lake, produces near-continuous lightning storms on up to 300 nights a year, with thousands of flashes an hour — among the highest lightning densities recorded anywhere.

To follow any single measurement in Maracaibo 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.