Rio de Janeiro in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Rio de Janeiro sees average daytime highs around 28°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 309 mm of rain over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 30°C in early March to 25°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels oppressive.
Fall is Rio de Janeiro's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rio de Janeiro's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 28°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 22°C
- Rainfall
- 309 mm
- 40 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 5.8
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Rio de Janeiro in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 30°C in early March to 25°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Rio de Janeiro reaches about 28°C and drops to 22°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
How fall really feels in Rio de Janeiro
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 22 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C.
The story in fall is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.
Rio de Janeiro weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) 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° / 24° | 171 | 16.4 | 13.2 | 4.3 |
| Feb | 30° / 24° | 114 | 13.1 | 12.8 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 29° / 24° | 145 | 16.6 | 12.2 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 28° / 22° | 88 | 12 | 11.5 | 6.0 |
| May | 26° / 20° | 76 | 11.3 | 10.9 | 6.7 |
| Jun | 25° / 19° | 48 | 7.3 | 10.6 | 7.5 |
| Jul | 25° / 18° | 51 | 7.8 | 10.7 | 7.5 |
| Aug | 25° / 19° | 41 | 7.5 | 11.2 | 7.5 |
| Sep | 26° / 20° | 75 | 10.4 | 11.9 | 6.8 |
| Oct | 26° / 21° | 92 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 6.2 |
| Nov | 27° / 22° | 139 | 16 | 13.1 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 29° / 23° | 151 | 16.4 | 13.4 | 4.8 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Rio de Janeiro gets around 309 mm of rain over 40 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels oppressive — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 9 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min in early March to 10 h 42 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.4 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Rio de Janeiro?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Rio de Janeiro for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.
What to pack for Rio de Janeiro in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Rio de Janeiro sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 40 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Rio de Janeiro in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 25°C across fall — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 25 km away) is warmest in March at about 25°C and coldest in August near 21°C.
The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Comfort | Warm | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Warm |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | Warm |
| Feb | 25 | Warm |
| Mar | 25 | Warm |
| Apr | 25 | Warm |
| May | 24 | Refreshing |
| Jun | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 22 | Refreshing |
| Aug | 21 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 21 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 22 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 23 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 24 | Warm |
UV index in Rio de Janeiro in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rio de Janeiro peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 13 at about 5 (moderate).
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) | 14 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Very high | High | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14 | Extreme |
| Feb | 13 | Extreme |
| Mar | 12 | Extreme |
| Apr | 9 | Very high |
| May | 6 | High |
| Jun | 6 | High |
| Jul | 5 | Moderate |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 11 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Air quality in Rio de Janeiro in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Rio de Janeiro is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (February, 8 µg/m³).
Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Rio de Janeiro's WHO annual average of 11.4 µg/m³.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 9 | Good |
| May | 13 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 13 | Moderate |
| Sep | 14 | Moderate |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 9 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro sits at 22.9°S, 43.2°W, 12 m above sea level, in Brazil. The nearest listed city is Santa Teresa, 1.0 km away.
Topography around Rio de Janeiro
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Rio de Janeiro.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Rio de Janeiro has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 m around an average of 18 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 971 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,252 m.
The land around Rio de Janeiro is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and water (42%) within 3 km, water (47%), artificial surfaces (26%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and trees (37%) and water (35%) within 80 km.
Brazil travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type C / N
- 127 / 220 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 46% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $10,713
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.6 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 89%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 19.3
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 16
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 482
- 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 Rio de Janeiro (-22.9064°, -43.1822°, elevation 12 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.