Climate in Tumbes (Peru)

In Tumbes, the climate is tropical, hot all year round, with a hotter, rainy season from January to April and a dry, relatively cool season from June to November. Usually, May and December are hot months, but with little rainfall.
The city is located in the far north of Peru, near the coast, where there are beach resorts such as Puerto Pizarro, Caleta Cruz, Zorritos and Bocapán. To the northeast of the city, on the border with Ecuador, we find the "Tumbes Mangals National Sanctuary", an area occupied by mangroves, inhabited by birds and crocodiles.
We are just south of the Equator, in an area where the cold Humboldt Current arrives attenuated but is still able to influence the climate, making it drier than other areas located at the same latitude.

Normally, rainfall is not abundant, in fact, it amounts to about 460 millimeters (18 inches) per year. However, it is quite abundant in February and March, but above all, it has a strong variability. In fact, there are very dry years, when there is little rain also from January to April, and annual precipitation drops below 100 mm (4 in), normal years, when precipitation is around the average, and very wet years, when the rains become frequent and abundant, from January to May (and sometimes also in December). This happens in El Niño years, the phenomenon consisting in an abnormal warming of the Pacific waters to the west of South America, and which has significant effects in this area.
In the most intense El Niño years, such as in 1982-83, 1997-98 and 2015-2016, torrential rainfall occur, and the rainy season lasts longer, in fact, it can go from December to June or July (the temperature in these months increases as well). The Tumbes River, which passes through the city and flows into the Pacific Ocean, can flood the city.
In 1982/83 3,794 mm (149 in) of rain fell from December to June, and in 1997/98, 2,968 mm (117 in) from November to June. In February 2016, 270 mm (10.6 in) fell in two days.



The amount of sunshine in Tumbes is not very good, however, the sky tends paradoxically to be cloudy especially in the cooler and dry period, from July to September, while in the rainy season, there is an alternation between sunshine and cloudiness. The sunniest month is December, with about 7 hours of sunshine per day.

The sea in Tumbes is warm enough for swimming from January to May, while it becomes a little cool from July to November. However, given the latitude, it is cooler than in other parts of the world.
In El Niño years, the sea in this area warms up a lot, so much so that it can reach 29 °C (84 °F) in the early months of the year.

Tumbes - Climate data

In Tumbes, the average temperature of the coldest month (September) is of 23.4 °C (74.2 °F), that of the warmest month (March) is of 27.2 °C (81 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Precipitation amounts to 465 millimeters (18.3 inches) per year: it is therefore quite scarce. It ranges from 0.3 mm (0 in) in the driest month (August) to 130 mm (5.1 in) in the wettest one (February). Here is the average precipitation.
The sea temperature ranges from 21 °C (70 °F) in August, September to
There are on average around 2025 sunshine hours per year. Here are the average hours of sunshine per day.

Tumbes - Weather by month

Based on the period 1991-2020

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January is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 26.9 °C (80 °F), with a minimum of 22.6 °C (72.7 °F) and a maximum of 31.2 °C (88.2 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 20 °C (67.5 °F).
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 33.5 °C (92.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to 60 mm (2.4 in), distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 41% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 9 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 24 °C (75 °F). Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.

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February is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 26.9 °C (80 °F), with a minimum of 22.6 °C (72.7 °F) and a maximum of 31.2 °C (88.2 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 20.5 °C (68.5 °F).
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 33 °C (91.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to 130 mm (5.1 in), distributed over 15 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 44% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 8 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 25.5 °C (77.5 °F). Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.

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March, the hottest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 27.2 °C (81 °F), with a minimum of 22.9 °C (73.2 °F) and a maximum of 31.5 °C (88.7 °F).
On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 20.5 °C (69 °F).
On the warmest days, the temperature usually reaches around 34 °C (93 °F).
Precipitation amounts to 105 mm (4.1 in), distributed over 13 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 6 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 51% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 8 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 25 °C (77 °F). Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.

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April is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 27 °C (81 °F), with a minimum of 22.5 °C (72.6 °F) and a maximum of 31.6 °C (88.8 °F).
On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 20 °C (68 °F).
On the warmest days, the temperature usually reaches around 33.5 °C (92 °F).
Precipitation amounts to 75 mm (3 in), distributed over 8 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 54% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 7 kph (4 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 24 °C (75 °F). Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.

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May is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 26.6 °C (80 °F), with a minimum of 22.3 °C (72.2 °F) and a maximum of 31 °C (87.7 °F).
On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 20 °C (68 °F).
On the warmest days, the temperature usually reaches around 32.5 °C (91 °F).
Precipitation amounts to 35 mm (1.4 in), distributed over 3 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 52% of the time.
The average humidity is 76%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 7 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 23.5 °C (74.5 °F). Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.

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June is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 25.2 °C (77 °F), with a minimum of 21.2 °C (70.1 °F) and a maximum of 29.2 °C (84.6 °F).
On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 18.5 °C (65.5 °F).
On the warmest days, the temperature usually reaches around 32 °C (89.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to 10 mm (0.4 in), distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 44% of the time.
The average humidity is 77%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 7 kph (4 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 22.5 °C (72.5 °F). Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.

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July is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 24.1 °C (75 °F), with a minimum of 20.2 °C (68.4 °F) and a maximum of 28 °C (82.5 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 18 °C (64 °F).
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 30.5 °C (86.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to only 5.9 mm (0.2 in), distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 39% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 7 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 21.5 °C (71 °F). Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.

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August is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 23.4 °C (74 °F), with a minimum of 19.8 °C (67.6 °F) and a maximum of 27.1 °C (80.8 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 17 °C (62.5 °F).
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 29 °C (84.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to only 0.3 mm (0 in), distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 35% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 8 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 21 °C (70 °F). Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.

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September, the coolest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 23.4 °C (74 °F), with a minimum of 19.9 °C (67.9 °F) and a maximum of 26.9 °C (80.5 °F).
On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 17.5 °C (63.5 °F).
On the warmest days, the temperature usually reaches around 29 °C (84 °F).
Precipitation amounts to only 0.9 mm (0 in), distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 5 minutes.
There are on average 4.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 36% of the time.
The average humidity is 80%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 8 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 21 °C (69.5 °F). Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.

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October is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 23.9 °C (75 °F), with a minimum of 20.4 °C (68.6 °F) and a maximum of 27.5 °C (81.6 °F).
On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 17.5 °C (63 °F).
On the warmest days, the temperature usually reaches around 29.5 °C (85.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to only 1.8 mm (0.1 in), distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 43% of the time.
The average humidity is 79%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 8 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 21.5 °C (70.5 °F). Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.

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November is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 24.4 °C (76 °F), with a minimum of 20.6 °C (69.1 °F) and a maximum of 28.2 °C (82.8 °F).
On the coldest nights, the temperature usually drops to around 17.5 °C (63.5 °F).
On the warmest days, the temperature usually reaches around 31 °C (87.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to only 6.9 mm (0.3 in), distributed over 0 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 53% of the time.
The average humidity is 78%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 8 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 22 °C (71 °F). Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.

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December is generally a warm to hot, muggy month. The average temperature is of 25.7 °C (78 °F), with a minimum of 21.8 °C (71.3 °F) and a maximum of 29.7 °C (85.4 °F).
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around 18.5 °C (65.5 °F).
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around 32 °C (89.5 °F).
Precipitation amounts to 35 mm (1.4 in), distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 20 minutes.
There are on average 7 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 57% of the time.
The average humidity is 75%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is 9 kph (5 mph).
The average sea temperature is of 22.5 °C (72.5 °F). Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.