Weather and Climate in Peru

by countryaah · Published October 30, 2021 · Updated September 30, 2021

Due to the considerable north-south expansion, the long Pacific coast and the differences in altitude between the sea level and the Andes, which are more than 6,000 m high, there are very different climatic conditions in Peru.

The climate in Peru can be divided into two seasons – wet and dry – which can vary depending on the region. The biggest influence on the temperature is the height of your location: the higher you climb, the cooler it becomes.

The coastal region of Peru is transported through the Humboldt current cold Antarctic water, for the latitude dry relatively cool and year-round until very dry. Temperatures rise highest during the summer months (January to March), with hot and humid days of around 29 ° C and cool nights of just under 20 ° C. The winters are not too cold, but it is often cloudy. In southern Peru lies part of the Atacama Desert, the driest region in the world. The amount of precipitation on the coast increases slightly from south to north. Lima has a temperate climate – without heavy rainfall in winter and extreme heat in summer. The climate in the Andes depends on the altitude. A distinction is made between tierra caliente (up to 1,000 m) with an annual average temperature of 25 ° C, tierra templada up to approx. 2,000 m and temperatures between 15 and 20 ° C as well as the tierra fria up to 3,500 m with hot days and cold nights and an annual average temperature of 12 ° C. Temperatures above 0 ° C are seldom reached from an altitude of 5,000 m.

To the east of the Andes are the low-lying regions of the Amazon. Here there is an ever-humid tropical rainy climate, which only has short dry seasons in July and August. The mean temperatures are 26 ° C on an annual average, with the highest values reaching 36 ° C and the lowest values 11 ° C (July and August).

Peru’s tourist season is between June and August, in theAndean highlands dry season. The dry months between May and September are also the best time for outdoor activities such as trekking or mountaineering. While the highlands can be visited year round, the wettest months from December to March make trekking a muddy affair. Many of the great festivals in Peru are celebrated in the humid season. For a vacation on the Pacific, especially on the southern coast, the sunny, humid but dry months of December to April are recommended. In the remaining months there is heavy fog and clouds, which do not make you want to spend days on the beach. This phenomenon is less pronounced on the northern coast. From time to time the El Niño phenomenon leads to unusual weather conditions with extreme heat and heavy rainfall.

When traveling in the rainforest of Peru, rainfalls can be expected all year round, but they are always short, heavy and predictable. The best travel time for the lowlands of Peru is usually from May to September, the period in which it rains less, the humidity is generally a little lower than in the rainy season and the sun shines very often. Because of the low water levels, this time is particularly suitable for wildlife viewing. A Machu Picchu trip is usually a pleasure at any time!

Average daytime temperature

Region

Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Arequipa

22 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

23 ° C

24 ° C

23 ° C

Cajamarca

31 ° C

30 ° C

31 ° C

Chiclayo

31 ° C

30 ° C

31 ° C

Cuzco

19 ° C

20 ° C

19 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

Huancayo

19 ° C

18 ° C

19 ° C

20 ° C

19 ° C

20 ° C

Iquitos

32 ° C

31 ° C

32 ° C

31 ° C

32 ° C

31 ° C

32 ° C

33 ° C

32 ° C

Lima

25 ° C

26 ° C

24 ° C

21 ° C

19 ° C

17 ° C

19 ° C

20 ° C

23 ° C

Pucallpa

31 ° C

30 ° C

32 ° C

Puerto Maldonado

31 ° C

30 ° C

29 ° C

30 ° C

31 ° C

32 ° C

31 ° C

Tacna

27 ° C

28 ° C

27 ° C

25 ° C

23 ° C

20 ° C

19 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

24 ° C

26 ° C

Tingo Maria

30 ° C

29 ° C

30 ° C

31 ° C

30 ° C

Average night temperature

Region

Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Arequipa

7 ° C

6 ° C

5 ° C

4 ° C

5 ° C

6 ° C

Cajamarca

22 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

Chiclayo

22 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

Cuzco

7 ° C

6 ° C

5 ° C

3 ° C

1 ° C

0 ° C

2 ° C

4 ° C

6 ° C

7 ° C

Huancayo

7 ° C

8 ° C

7 ° C

6 ° C

3 ° C

1 ° C

2 ° C

6 ° C

7 ° C

Iquitos

22 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

21 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

Lima

19 ° C

20 ° C

19 ° C

18 ° C

16 ° C

15 ° C

14 ° C

13 ° C

14 ° C

16 ° C

17 ° C

Pucallpa

22 ° C

21 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

Puerto Maldonado

21 ° C

20 ° C

19 ° C

17 ° C

18 ° C

19 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

Tacna

16 ° C

17 ° C

16 ° C

13 ° C

11 ° C

10 ° C

9 ° C

10 ° C

12 ° C

13 ° C

15 ° C

Tingo Maria

20 ° C

19 ° C

20 ° C

Average water temperature

Region

Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Lima

19 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

19 ° C

18 ° C

17 ° C

16 ° C

17 ° C

18 ° C

Average hours of sunshine / day

Region	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Arequipa	7	7	8	10	9	10	9	10	10	10	10	9
Cuzco	5	5	6	7	8	8	9	8	7	7	7	5
Huancayo	6	5	6	7	7	9	8	8	7	7	7	7
Iquitos	5	5	5	5	6	6	7	7	7	6	6	5
Lima	6	7	7	7	4	1	1	1	1	2	4	5
Tacna	7	7	7	7	6	5	6	6	5	8	8	8
Tingo Maria	4	4	4	4	5	5	6	7	6	5	5	4

Average rainy days / month

Region	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Arequipa	5	6	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Cajamarca	11	12	12	11	7	3	1	2	5	13	9	11
Chiclayo	1	1	4	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Cuzco	19	15	13	9	3	2	2	2	4	9	13	16
Huancayo	16	15	13	9	4	3	2	4	7	9	9	12
Iquitos	16	13	12	13	13	13	12	11	10	12	12	13
Lima	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	1	0	0	0
Pucallpa	14	11	12	12	9	6	5	6	7	11	10	11
Puerto Maldonado	18	16	12	10	8	5	4	4	5	10	12	14
Tacna	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0
Tingo Maria	24	20	21	18	15	11	11	11	12	17	20	21

Weather and Climate in Peru

Average daytime temperature

Average night temperature

Average water temperature

Average hours of sunshine / day

Average rainy days / month

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