Weather in the Brazilian Amazon– What to Expect
The Brazilian Amazon is the largest area of the Amazon Rainforest – with almost 60% of the entire Rainforest in Brazil. You can access this part of the Amazon by travelling to Manaus, a city that is located in the middle of the Amazon and is easy to get to by plane, air or boat, by taking a river cruise.
This region is full of life, and its large Rainforest helps to create and sustain its extremely diverse, plant and wild life. Brazil is said to have the greatest biodiversity on the planet, with around one tenth of all the species in the world in the Brazilian Amazon. Amazingly, around two-thirds of all species in the world are found in tropical areas like the Brazilian Amazon – second only to Indonesia's tropical climate.
Find out more about the weather in the Brazilian Amazon and decide when to take your Amazon river cruise from Manaus:
The Seasons of the Brazilian Amazon
The first thing to know about the tropical climate of the Brazilian Amazon is that it has just two seasons – the wet, or rainy, season (also known as flooding) and the dry season. The equator runs through the Amazon and it has low elevation, so the weather here varies greatly from the rest of the vast country of Brazil. The wet season typically runs from January to June, although because the region is so vast this can sometimes fluctuate and the dry season usually occurs between July and December.
The plants and wildlife of the Amazon Rainforest have evolved and adapted to the dramatic changes between the two seasons, particularly the heavy rainfall and flooding. Some of the trees in the Rainforest have even developed bark that doesn't rot! Many of the trees, like the Buttress Trees, use their large roots to anchor them to ground, stopping them from falling over during the flooding, and allowing them consistently gather the nutrients they need to survive in these conditions.
The Weather in the Brazilian Amazon
The temperature in the Brazilian Amazon doesn't change too much throughout the year – averaging around 30°C. Believe it or not, it rarely gets much hotter than this, despite common perceptions and its proximity to the equator. This is unlike the rest of Brazil, like Rio de Janeiro, which can easily surpass 40°C in summer season. The best time to explore the Amazon is in June just after the rainy season, when the Amazon is still flooded, so looks beautiful, but the rain has stopped.
The Rainy Season and the Flooding in the Amazon
Running from January to June, during these months you will usually see a literal flooding of the Amazon Rainforest. While it doesn't rain every day – the showers usually burst in and out of sunshine-filled days – be prepared to get very wet. Monthly rainfall is usually around 33 cm per month. While it doesn't get cold by any means, during this season temperatures can drop to the lowest they get in this region, to around 27°C, it is slightly less humid than the dry season.
Most of the rain falls at the mouth of the Amazon, close to the city of Belém, and in the upper parts of the Amazonia, flooding the Amazon River. During this season inhabitants have to use boats to travel around the Amazon, so this would be your mode of transport too, if you plan to travel during this time. Unbelievably, the Rainforest sees so much rain during this period that the Amazon River can rise and fall by as much as 12 metres.
The Dry Season in the Amazon
The dry season is from July to December. During this time the waters have dried up and the Amazon looks entirely different. Not only does the Brazilian Amazon look different during this season, but it also feels different, with some of hottest and most humid months in this region. However, just because the season is called the “dry” season, it doesn't mean there will be no rain, an average of around 5 cm per month of rain still falls during this season.
This season does, however, bring lots of surprises to the Amazon, like its creation of white sandy beaches along the river banks. An Amazon river cruise will pass by a number of these beautiful beaches on the Rio Negro, a unique view of the Amazon Rainforest that most travellers won't expect. During this season you no longer need to navigate the Rainforest in a canoe or boat, and are able to hike or walk the paths. There are also less mosquitoes during this season, making it an ideal time to travel.
Amazon Fact- Did You Know?
Tropical forests, like the Amazon, also regulate the world's temperatures and weather patterns, by absorbing Carbon Dioxide and producing oxygen. The Amazon Rainforest alone produces 20% of the world's oxygen.
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