If you’ve been reading us for a while you’re probably aware by now that we are big fans of Google Maps and its use to support travel planning (we talked about it at GoogleMaps on the Brazil Travel Blog).

Google has just added a new weather layer to its Google Maps (you can read the official announcement at Rain or Shine, see the weather on Google Maps).

If you enter Google Maps and go to the widget on the top right corner where you select the different view modes (Map, Earth, Traffic, Photos and so on) you will see there is a new layer called “Weather”. If you select it, you will see weather-related symbols appearing on your map. We’ll be using Rio de Janeiro as our example:

If you click on the symbol next to Rio (sun and cloud) you will see a pop up window with the forecast for the coming days (as my settings for the Google Apps are in Spanish I’m seeing the info in Spanish, you will see it in English).

If you click on 10 days you will get yet more weather information.

——————————
RELATED POSTS:
Google’s Street View has landed in Brazil
ultra high-resolution satellite photos of Brazil
new transit layer on Google Maps
GoogleMaps on the Brazil Travel Blog

Walking along the Avenida Paulista on Friday, under a persistent and annoying rain, I ran across the scene I captured with my pocket camera (the quality is not very good). I immediately thought of so many people about to start their holidays in Brazil, worried to death about the weather they are going to find when they land in sunny Brazil.

Should rain be on the menu, do as the locals: open your umbrella and carry on with your life. At least the people on the picture didn’t allow the rain to spoil their Friday evening beer with their workmates.

When do I go to Brazil? What is the best time of the year to visit Brazil? This is a recurring question for travellers planning a trip to Brazil. Here is my attempt to reply to those questions. The list below contains, above all, general trends that might or might not change on a given year. Remember climate change and El Niño are on the loose.

JANUARY

• FOR: good weather all throughout the country, it’s summer, after all. Plenty of sunshine and heat.
• AGAINST: it is the main high season. Millions of Brazilians are enjoying their holidays. All the touristic destinations are jam-packed, and prices rocket. Violent tropical storms in the South and Southeast regions.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: big cities are at its best, without the big crowds, and about acceptable traffic. The volume of the falls at Iguazu is at its best.
• BEST AVOIDED: any beach destination – it will be overcrowded for certain. The Lençóis Maranhenses, where the lagoons are empty and it rains a lot. Fernando de Noronha, where the sea is quite rough at the most beautiful beaches.

FEBRUARY

• FOR: the good weather continues. Carnival takes place.
• AGAINST: although the January holidays are over, the high season continues in many places until Carnival. Violent tropical storms continue in the South and Southeast.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: Rio, Salvador, São Paulo and Recife, if you want to be part of the Carnival. The Iguazu falls are still at their best. Far from the dates of the Carnival, the beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel). The coast of São Paulo and Rio (Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios) also excluding the week of Carnival. The same goes for the Northeast coast .
• BEST AVOIDED: Lençóis Maranhenses, Fernando de Noronha, Rio, if your reason for being there is not the Carnival – accommodation is expensive and hard to find.

MARCH

• FOR: good weather all around, though autumn/fall begins at the end of the month and temperatures fall in the South and Southeast. Low season.
• AGAINST: high season is back during Easter. Final tropical storms in the South and Southeast.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: Iguazú. The north coast the state of São Paulo (Ubatuba) and the south coast of the state of Rio (Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios): good weather, good prices, and very few folks around (excluding Easter). For the same reasons, the beaches of the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel). The beaches of the state of Bahia, where the rainy season hasn’t started yet.
• BEST AVOIDED: some of the destinations listed for February (Lençóis Maranhenses, Fernando de Noronha).

APRIL

• FOR: the weather is still quite good, though autumn/fall is making its presence being felt. Drier weather. Low season.
• AGAINST: if Easter falls on April, the high season is back.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: The region of the Cidades Históricas in Minas Gerais, where it has stopped raining. Iguazú. The north coast of the state of São Paulo (Ubatuba) and the south coast of the state of Rio (Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios): good weather, low prices, few tourists. For the same reasons, the beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel).
• BEST AVOIDED: Some of the destinations listed for February (Lençóis Maranhenses, Fernando de Noronha).

MAY

• FOR: very similar to April, although it’s getting cold on the mountains in the South. Low season.
• AGAINST: quite cold in parts of the South.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: Iguazú. The north coast of the state of São Paulo (Ubatuba) and the south coast of the state of Rio (Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios). The Cidades Históricas in Minas Gerais.
• BEST AVOIDED: The coast of the Brazilian Northeast, it’s one of the rainiest months there. The beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel), quite cold for a swim.

JUNE

• FOR: low season.
• AGAINST: cold in the South and Southeast, and plenty of rain in the coast of Bahia.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: the region of the Serras (Rio Grande do Sul) and canyons (Rio Grande do Sul y Santa Catarina), to enjoy the spectacular landscape in the cold. The Cidades Históricas in Minas Gerais. São Luis on the second half of June to enjoy the bumba-meu-boi festival. Parintins (in the Amazon) during the last three days of June to enjoy the boi-bumbá festival. The Lençóis Maranhenses, with the lagoons brimming with water. The rain stops in the Pantanal.
• BEST AVOIDED: The coast of the Brazilian Northeast, another rainy month. The beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel), too cold.

JULY

• FOR: the weather is changing and new destinations are promoted to the “recommended” category.
• AGAINST: cold in the South and Southeast. High season again, school holidays in Brazil. Prices rise.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: the region of the Serras (Rio Grande do Sul) and canyons (Rio Grande do Sul y Santa Catarina), to enjoy the spectacular landscape in the cold. The Cidades Históricas in Minas Gerais. The Lençóis Maranhenses. The Pantanal. Fernando de Noronha, the nicest beaches display the turquoise colour that has made them famous. Manaus and the Amazon jungle nearby. From now till November the Amazon is at its highest level, there’s more sunshine and less mosquitos.
• BEST AVOIDED: the beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel), too cold. Iguazú, the water levels at the falls reach an all-year low. The coast of the Brazilian Northeast, it rains and it’s high season.

AUGUST

• FOR: although the month coincides with an influx of foreign visitors, it’s low season in Brazil.
• AGAINST: quite cold in the South and Southeast.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: the region of the Serras (Rio Grande do Sul) and canyons (Rio Grande do Sul y Santa Catarina), to enjoy the spectacular landscape in the cold. The Cidades Históricas in Minas Gerais. The Lençóis Maranhenses. Fortaleza and Jericoacoara, where the rainy season is over. The Pantanal. Fernando de Noronha, a good month to visit the island. Manaus and the Amazon jungle nearby. You can venture into the southern coast of Bahia, where the rain is bearable.
• BEST AVOIDED: the beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel), too cold. Iguazú, the water levels at the falls reach an all-year low.

SEPTEMBER

• FOR: ideal month for some destinations, good weather and low season.
• EN CONTRA: still cold in the South and Southeast.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: the Lençóis Maranhenses. All the Northeast coastline, from Bahía, through Natal and Pipa, to Fortaleza and Jericoacoara. The Pantanal. Fernando de Noronha, along with October, this is the best month of the year to visit the island. Manaus and the Amazon jungle.
• BEST AVOIDED: the beaches of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel), too cold.Iguazú, the water levels at the falls reach an all-year low.

OCTOBER

• FOR: ideal month for some destinations, good weather and low season. The weather warms up in the South and Southeast
• AGAINST: Can’t think of anything! This is one of the best months to be visiting Brazil.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: all the Northeast coastline, from Bahia, through Natal and Pipa, to Fortaleza and Jericoacoara. Fernando de Noronha, along with September, this is the best month of the year to visit the island. Manaus and the Amazon jungle. The north coast of the state of São Paulo (Ubatuba) and the south coast of the state of Rio (Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios).
• BEST AVOIDED: Iguazú falls, the level of the river is rising, but it was in October when the falls nearly dried up a couple of years ago.

NOVEMBER

• FOR: ideal month for some destinations, good weather and low season. The weather warms up in the South and Southeast
• AGAINST: Can’t think of anything! Along with October, November is one of the best months to be visiting Brazil.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: all the Northeast coastline, from Bahia, through Natal and Pipa, to Fortaleza and Jericoacoara. Fernando de Noronha. Manaus and the Amazon jungle. The north coast of the state of São Paulo (Ubatuba) and the south coast of the state of Rio (Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios). Beaches of Río Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel).
• BEST AVOIDED: Lençóis Maranhenses, the lagoons have dried up.

DECEMBER

• FOR: during the first half of the month it is still low season, with good weather and few people around.
• AGAINST: the dates between Christmas and the New Year are the most expensive of all the year, and most places are crowded. The violent tropical storms are back in the South and Southeast.
• RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS: all the Northeast coastline, from Bahia, through Natal and Pipa, to Fortaleza and Jericoacoara. The north coast of the state of São Paulo (Ubatuba) and the south coast of the state of Rio (Paraty, Ilha Grande, Búzios). Beaches of Río Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (Florianópolis) and Paraná (Ilha do Mel).
• BEST AVOIDED: Pantanal, Noronha (where rough seas have replaces the calm waters of the last few months), Lençóis Maranhenses.

In the south east region of Brazil, along with the summer come the tropical storms. Large cities like São Paulo, Rio or Belo Horizonte are shaken by violent storms that flood the streets, uproot trees and wreck havoc wherever they go.

Tropical storms occur at the end of a hot day. They usually don’t last long, between half and hour and a couple of hours maximum. But during that short period of time, it pours down non-stop. During a tropical storm it’s very important to stay where you are – don’t attempt to walk on the streets. In flood-prone areas, be careful where you stay. Prepare some coffee and wait for the storm to go away.

subscribe to the Brazil Travel Blog by Email
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Twitter
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Facebook

North of Rio, the concept of summer and winter is quite different from the one we are used to in the Northern hemisphere. The seasons are well defined only in the south of Brazil, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. In Porto Alegre, it gets freezing cold during winter, and boiling hot during the summer. But for most of Brazil, winter means lack of rain, and summer means torrential rain. The temperatures are very similar throughout the year.

In broad terms, rain falls in the north east of Brazil from December to June. And it doesn’t rain during the rest of they year. But what with climate change and the presence of El Niño, this weather patterns are suffering changes.

SEE ALSO: Climate and weather

subscribe to the Brazil Travel Blog by Email
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Twitter

In a country the size of Brazil, it is very difficult to make general comments on the climate. At the same moment in time, a temperature of –2° C can be registered in the mountains in the south of the country while the Northeast registers 43° C.

In general, the seasons in the south of the country are well defined – the further to the south, the bigger the differences between seasons. It is cold in winter, hot during the summer. In the north, there are just two basic seasons: winter and summer. What differenciates one from the other is the rain – it is always hot. It doesn’t rain in winter; it doesn’t stop raining during the summer. Or the other way around because, to complicate things even more, in some places winter, and not summer, is the rainy season.

The Weather Channel’s Portuguese web site is an excellent starting point, as it shows historical averages for a sizeable number of destinations. Click, for example, on Rio de Janeiro, and then on Médias e Registro to see monthly average values for rain and temperatures.

The weather is an important factor when it comes to decide what to visit. For instance, it is not worth visiting the Lençóis Maranhenses during the summer, when it doesn’t stop raining and the lagoons are nearly empty. Or it is not worth going to Fernando de Noronha in December, when 2 and 3 meter-high waves make snorkelling impossible near the beach.

subscribe to the Brazil Travel Blog by Email
follow the Brazil Travel Blog on Twitter