Brazil - weather in August

August in Brazil is the last month of winter in the center-south, while in the center-north, where it is hot all year round, we cannot properly speak of seasons, except as regards to the rains.
As generally happens in tropical areas, at the end of winter the temperature already increases significantly compared to the previous months, and in fact, in south-central Brazil, especially inland areas, the average is already 2-2.5 degrees Celsius higher than in July. Furthermore, heat waves begin to occur in the inland areas of the center-north, during which the temperature can reach 38/40 °C (100/104 °F).
At sea level, the average temperature is generally 28/29 °C (82/84 °F) in the north, while it is 25 °C (77 °F) in Salvador, and 22.5 °C (72.5 °F) in Rio de Janeiro, near the Tropic. In the south, the climate is quite cool, in fact the average is 18.5 °C (65 °F) in Florianópolis, on the southern part of the coast, and 14 °C (57 °F) in Rio Grande, in the far south.
In general, winter in Brazil is the driest season, although not everywhere, and August is the month with the least rain on average. In the northern part of the coast (see São Luís, Macapá, Parnaíba, Fortaleza), August is the beginning of the dry season. The rains are abundant only in the extreme north, in the state of Roraima (see Boa Vista), and in the easternmost part of the coast (see Recife, Maceió). Instead, in the Amazon forest, even though there isn't a real dry season, we are in the time of year when the rains are least frequent.
In the center-south, rainfall is generally rare, except in the southernmost states (Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina), where the clash between air masses produces disturbances.
In the south there can be cold air irruptions, which can bring the night temperature down to about the freezing point. Sometimes, in the southern cities located at hill altitude (see Curitiba, Passo Fundo, São Joaquim, Lages), it can even snow.
The sea is warm enough for swimming in the center and north, it is all in all acceptable but not warm at the height of the Tropic (see Rio De Janeiro), while it is cold in the south.




See also: Brazil, the weather in July - September
The climate of Brazil