Santa Cruz in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Santa Cruz sees average daytime highs around 26°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 141 mm of rain over about 20 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 24°C in early June to 29°C by late August. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Santa Cruz's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Santa Cruz's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 26°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 17°C
- Rainfall
- 141 mm
- 20 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Santa Cruz in Winter
Over the season highs climb from about 24°C in early June to 29°C by late August.
A typical winter day in Santa Cruz reaches about 26°C and drops to 17°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is August, the coolest July.
How winter really feels in Santa Cruz
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Santa Cruz weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30° / 22° | 172 | 18.1 | 12.9 | 3.8 |
| Feb | 30° / 22° | 139 | 16.7 | 12.6 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 30° / 22° | 118 | 14.6 | 12.1 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 29° / 20° | 65 | 10.7 | 11.6 | 5.6 |
| May | 26° / 18° | 61 | 10.4 | 11.2 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 24° / 17° | 53 | 8.9 | 11 | 7.0 |
| Jul | 25° / 16° | 44 | 6.1 | 11 | 7.6 |
| Aug | 28° / 18° | 44 | 5.3 | 11.4 | 7.1 |
| Sep | 30° / 20° | 66 | 7 | 11.9 | 5.5 |
| Oct | 31° / 21° | 85 | 10.5 | 12.4 | 4.5 |
| Nov | 31° / 22° | 118 | 13.1 | 12.8 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 30° / 22° | 165 | 17.8 | 13 | 3.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Santa Cruz gets around 141 mm of rain over 20 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 15 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early June to 11 h 36 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Santa Cruz
None of Santa Cruz's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Santa Cruz's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Santa Cruz?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Santa Cruz for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Santa Cruz in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Santa Cruz sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 17°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 20 days see rain.
UV index in Santa Cruz in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Santa Cruz peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 at about 7 (high).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 15 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | Extreme |
| Feb | 14 | Extreme |
| Mar | 14 | Extreme |
| Apr | 11 | Extreme |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 7 | Very high |
| Jul | 7 | High |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Air quality in Santa Cruz in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Santa Cruz is worst in September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.8× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 21 | 37 | 29 | 18 | 11 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 10 | Good |
| Apr | 8 | Good |
| May | 8 | Good |
| Jun | 9 | Good |
| Jul | 11 | Good |
| Aug | 21 | Moderate |
| Sep | 37 | Poor |
| Oct | 29 | Moderate |
| Nov | 18 | Moderate |
| Dec | 11 | Good |
Where is Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz sits at 17.8°S, 63.2°W, 433 m above sea level, in Bolivia. The nearest listed city is Cotoca, 14 km away.
Topography around Santa Cruz
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Santa Cruz.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Santa Cruz has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 29 m around an average of 414 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,022 m.
The land around Santa Cruz is covered by artificial surfaces (89%) within 3 km, trees (36%), grassland (29%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 16 km, and trees (47%), grassland (25%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.
Bolivia travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B / C
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 40% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $5,148
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Homicide rate
- 4.4
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 21.1
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Lower middle
- World Bank
- English
- Moderate
- EF EPI 521
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Santa Cruz (-17.7863°, -63.1812°, elevation 433 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.