São Paulo weather by month

São Paulo weather by month at a glance

São Paulo weather by month changes more in rain than in temperature. Average highs never drop below 22.9°C (73.2°F), so the cold you'll notice comes at night.

The chart and table use INMET's 1991 to 2020 normals, published in 2022, from the Mirante de Santana station in the north zone. At 785 m, it's INMET's reference station for the city.^{1 2}

São Paulo weather today

For today's forecast, see the INMET portal (opens in a new tab). For live flood points and dry-air warnings, check CGE São Paulo (opens in a new tab), which updates around the clock.²⁷

São Paulo temperature and rain by month

Highs move only about 6°C (11°F) through the year, while rain falls from 292 mm (11.5 in) in January to 32 mm (1.3 in) in August. Find your month in the table, then read the notes on December, January and July below.

São Paulo weather in December

Highs average 28.3°C (82.9°F), with 231 mm (9.1 in) of rain over 13 days. On December 28, 2025 the city set a December record of 37.2°C (99.0°F), per INMET data reported by Jovem Pan.^{3 6 22}

São Paulo weather in January

January is the wettest month, with 292 mm (11.5 in) over 17 rain days, nine of them with 10 mm or more. Highs average 28.6°C (83.5°F).^{6 7 8}

São Paulo weather in July

July is the coolest month, at 22.9°C (73.2°F) by day and 12.8°C (55.0°F) at night. It's also dry, with four rain days, and about five nights fall to 10°C (50°F) or lower.^{3 4 12}

São Paulo climate and seasons

São Paulo's climate runs on a wet half and a dry half. Seasons are the reverse of North America and Europe, so December is midsummer and July is midwinter.

Hot and wet, December to March

These are the four warmest and wettest months. Each averages 10 to 13 days at 30°C (86°F) or more and about one day with 50 mm of rain.^{3 6 9 10}

Drying out, April and May

Rain drops to 87 mm in April and 66 mm in May, and highs ease from 26.6°C (79.9°F) to 23.4°C (74.1°F).^{3 6}

São Paulo winter, June to September

Winter is mild and dry, with highs of 22.9 to 25.2°C (73.2 to 77.4°F). INMET's winter 2026 outlook expected cold air masses from the south to bring temperature drops and morning fog to the Southeast. On June 25, 2026, the high was only 13.4°C (56.1°F), per INMET data reported by CNN Brasil.^{3 20 23}

From May, CGE tracks cold nights and moves to its alert level when lows fall below 10°C (50°F). Winter days are the sunniest, with August averaging 173 hours of sun in INMET's 1981 to 2010 normals, against 139 in January.^{17 32}

Spring heat, October and November

Rain returns, with 127 mm in October and 144 mm in November. Each month averages eight days at 30°C (86°F) or more. Days of 35°C (95°F) come about once a year, usually in October, and the city's two highest readings both came in spring.^{6 10 11 18}

São Paulo rainy season

The rainy season runs from October to March and brings about 77% of the year's rain. Heavy rain can still come early, as in September 2026, when a record 253.8 mm fell in 14 days.^{6 21}

São Paulo humidity

Humidity averages 73.6%, falling to 68.2% in August and to about 51% at the mid-afternoon reading that month. The city's dry-air scale reaches its attention level at 30% humidity and its emergency level below 12%.^{13 14 31}

Best time to visit or move to São Paulo

Visit in April or May. Move between April and September if you can, unless a school calendar sets the date.

Sources 3 7 29 45 46

Each window has a tradeoff, since the dry months bring the worst particle pollution and the driest air. Families can compare moving to São Paulo with kids and international schools, then use the São Paulo moving checklist.^{31 39}

What to wear in São Paulo and what to pack

Pack layers, since days and nights are about 9 to 11°C (16 to 20°F) apart all year.

• Layers. February nights average 19.6°C (67.3°F) and July nights 12.8°C (55.0°F).
• A warm jacket for May to September, when some nights fall to 10°C (50°F) or below.
• An umbrella and a light rain jacket for October to March.
• Breathable clothes. About 76 days a year reach 30°C (86°F).
• Saline nasal spray and a water bottle for late winter, as the city advises on dry-air days.
• Appliances that match the voltage. Enel's São Paulo network supplies 127 V and 220 V at 60 Hz.
• Business wear depends on the employer, so ask before your first week.

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São Paulo floods, heavy rain and storms

Plan around summer storms. The city's emergency center says they typically flood streets, cause landslides and push rivers and streams over their banks.

The city averages 53 days a year with 10 mm or more of rain. Extreme rain is rising. USP's Água Funda station logged 11 days over 100 mm in 2001 to 2020, against 10 from 1941 to 2000.^{8 26 29}

How CGE alerts work

The city's Centro de Gerenciamento de Emergências Climáticas (CGE), set up in 1999, watches the weather 24 hours a day. From November to mid-April, its alerts set off the summer rain operation. Its flood scale has four levels.^{28 29}

Observação (gray)

Normal conditions.

Atenção (yellow)

Rain that can cause flooding.

Alerta (red)

A stream or river has overflowed.

Alerta máximo

A public calamity that needs state and federal help.

Ponto de alagamento

A flood point, marked transitável (passable) or intransitável (impassable).

How to get flood alerts

• Text your CEP (postal code) to 40199 for free Defesa Civil SMS alerts.
• Keep emergency alerts on. Defesa Civil Alerta reaches compatible 4G and 5G phones with no sign-up, in Portuguese for now.
• Check CGE's live flood points (opens in a new tab) before driving in a storm.
• Call 199 for Defesa Civil or 193 for the fire brigade.

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Before you rent, ask about flooding on the street, check CGE's flood-point history, compare areas in our São Paulo neighborhood guide, and read our São Paulo safety guide. Plan storm-day routes with our guide to getting around São Paulo.³⁰

São Paulo air quality and CETESB

Ozone is São Paulo's main air pollution problem, and particles build up in the dry winter.

CETESB, the state environmental agency, monitors six pollutants and had 20 automatic stations reporting in the city on October 8, 2026. Its air quality map (opens in a new tab) updates hourly.^{37 38 39 41}

In 2024 the metro region broke the state's 8-hour ozone limit of 130 µg/m³ on 65 days, the most in the 2015 to 2024 series. Ozone peaks from September to March and particles from May to September. The metro region's average annual PM10 reached 34 µg/m³ in 2024, more than twice the WHO's 2021 guideline of 15.^{39 42}

Levels vary by area. In 2024, the Perus and Marginal Tietê-Ponte dos Remédios stations broke the annual PM10 limit.³⁹

Heating and air conditioning at home

Check what each apartment has before you sign. We found no official count of homes with heating or air conditioning.

About 14 nights a year fall to 10°C (50°F) or below, all from May to September, while about 76 days reach 30°C (86°F).^{10 12}

The tenant pays electricity under Brazil's rental law. Enel's residential tariff is about R$0.79 (US$0.16) per kWh before taxes, in force since July 4, 2026. ICMS tax rises from 12% to 18% above 200 kWh a month. Our estimates put electricity at R$90 to R$180 (US$18 to US$36) a month for one person. For a family of four, it's R$260 to R$430 (US$52 to US$86). Dollars use R$4.99 per US$1, the PTAX rate for October 7, 2026. See the cost of living in São Paulo and rent in São Paulo.^{47 48 49 51}

• Ask which rooms have air conditioning or heating, test them at the viewing, and check which outlets are 220 V.
• Heavy users can compare the tarifa branca, Enel's time-of-use tariff, at about R$0.67 (US$0.13) per kWh off-peak and R$1.48 (US$0.30) at peak, before taxes.

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Record temperatures and extremes

The official record high is 37.8°C (100.0°F), from October 17, 2014. The lowest reading in INMET's city series is -2.1°C (28.2°F), from August 2, 1955.

The climate is warming. Between the 1981 to 2010 and 1991 to 2020 normals, the annual mean rose from 20.1°C to 20.4°C. Yearly rain rose from 1,616 mm to 1,658 mm.^{5 6 15 16}

Does it snow in São Paulo?

Snow isn't something to plan for. Even frost is rare, with one frost day at USP's Água Funda station in 2024 and none in 2025. INMET's winter 2026 outlook mentioned snow only for southern Brazil's highlands.^{20 24}

Garoa, the drizzle behind the city's nickname

Garoa is the fine, misty drizzle behind São Paulo's nickname, terra da garoa, the land of drizzle. You'll see less of it than the name suggests.

USP climatologist Tércio Ambrizzi says moisture that once fell as garoa now tends to evaporate before reaching the warmer city. USP researchers blame much of that warmth on the urban heat island.²⁶

Geada

Frost.

Frente fria

Cold front.

Onda de calor

Heat wave.

Tempo seco

Dry weather, used for low-humidity days.

Altitude and local differences

São Paulo sits on a plateau. INMET's station stands at 785 m (2,576 ft), which tempers summer heat but isn't high enough to cause altitude problems for most people.

That's about 750 m above Rio de Janeiro. Curitiba's station is higher, at 923.5 m, with a 17.8°C (64.0°F) annual mean. Mexico City, at 2,240 m, draws altitude warnings in Canada's travel advice. Compare São Paulo vs Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo vs Curitiba and São Paulo vs Mexico City.^{2 5 52 53 54}

USP's Água Funda station in the south zone gets about 100 mm less rain a year than Mirante de Santana. Among weekend trips from São Paulo, Campos do Jordão sits at 1,628 m, 173 km (107 miles) away.^{6 25 55}