January holds up well in Rio de Janeiro — 12th best month
Good · 7.8/10January averages 26°C (79°F) and humidity near 81%, so the practical pattern is early mornings, a long midday break, and evenings back outside.
Monthly rainfall reaches 148 mm — wet for this destination — but about 27 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 7.8/10 here, 12th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack the lightest breathable clothing you own, a hat, and more water than feels necessary, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
February in Rio de Janeiro — one of the year's strongest windows (4th)
Best window · 8.6/10February averages 27°C (80°F) and humidity near 81%, so the practical pattern is early mornings, a long midday break, and evenings back outside.
Rainfall runs 88 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 26 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.9 hours of daylight.
A 8.6/10 puts this among the year's best months in Rio de Janeiro (4th of 12); only May scores higher, at 9.2/10.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack the lightest breathable clothing you own, a hat, and more water than feels necessary, a packable rain layer.
March in Rio de Janeiro: strong conditions, 5th of 12
Good · 8.4/10Days in March average 26°C (79°F) and humidity near 81% — front-load outdoor plans before the heat builds and treat the middle of the day as indoor time.
Budget for roughly 99 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.2 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 8.4/10 on the same scale — 5th of 12 months, versus 9.2/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack the lightest breathable clothing you own, a hat, and more water than feels necessary, a packable rain layer.
April in Rio de Janeiro — reliably good (9th best month)
Good · 8.2/10April averages 24°C (75°F) — warm enough for beach and boat plans, still short of the heat that pushes sightseeing into early morning.
Monthly rainfall reaches 107 mm — wet for this destination — but about 27 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 8.2/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
May in Rio de Janeiro tops the year's climate scores
Best window · 9.2/10With 23°C (73°F) on average, May delivers classic beach weather: plenty of time in the water, with beach and boat plans rarely disrupted by cold.
With around 40 mm of rain, any showers tend to pass through rather than settle in; about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11 hours of daylight fill the rest.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Rio de Janeiro at 9.2/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Budget for peak pricing, and crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection.
June in Rio de Janeiro — one of the year's strongest windows (3rd)
Best window · 8.9/10June averages 22°C (71°F) — warm enough for beach and boat plans, still short of the heat that pushes sightseeing into early morning.
Expect 36 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 28 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 10.7 daylight hours.
A 8.9/10 puts this among the year's best months in Rio de Janeiro (3rd of 12); only May scores higher, at 9.2/10.
Plan for mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection.
July in Rio de Janeiro: strong conditions, 6th of 12
Good · 8.4/10July averages 21°C (69°F) — warm enough for beach and boat plans, still short of the heat that pushes sightseeing into early morning.
Expect 40 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 10.9 daylight hours.
It scores 8.4/10 here, 6th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection.
August holds up well in Rio de Janeiro — 10th best month
Good · 8.2/10With 21°C (70°F) on average, August delivers classic beach weather: plenty of time in the water, with beach and boat plans rarely disrupted by cold.
Budget for roughly 66 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 27 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.3 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 8.2/10 on the same scale — 10th of 12 months, versus 9.2/10 for the best month here.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection, a packable rain layer.
September is one of the strongest months in Rio de Janeiro (2nd)
Best window · 9.2/10With 23°C (73°F) on average, September delivers classic beach weather: plenty of time in the water, with beach and boat plans rarely disrupted by cold.
Budget for roughly 46 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 26 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12 hours of daylight to work around it.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Rio de Janeiro at 9.2/10 (2nd of 12), just behind May at 9.2/10.
Expect peak pricing, and crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection, a packable rain layer.
October in Rio de Janeiro — reliably good (7th best month)
Good · 8.4/10October averages 23°C (73°F) — warm enough for beach and boat plans, still short of the heat that pushes sightseeing into early morning.
Rainfall runs 99 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.6 hours of daylight.
It scores 8.4/10 here, 7th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection, a packable rain layer.
November in Rio de Janeiro — reliably good (8th best month)
Good · 8.4/10November averages 24°C (74°F) — warm enough for beach and boat plans, still short of the heat that pushes sightseeing into early morning.
Monthly rainfall reaches 101 mm — wet for this destination — but about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 8.4/10 here, 8th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
December in Rio de Janeiro — reliably good (11th best month)
Good · 7.9/10With 25°C (77°F) on average, December delivers classic beach weather: plenty of time in the water, with beach and boat plans rarely disrupted by cold.
140 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 27 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 7.9/10 on the same scale — 11th of 12 months, versus 9.2/10 for the best month here.
Expect low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack light clothing, swimwear and real sun protection, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
