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The climate of Bolivia
Bolivia is a country centrally situated in South-America. Together
with the neighbouring country of Paraguay Bolivia is the only country
on the continent without a coastal line. The absence of the influence
of the sea on the climate and the situation of Bolivia on the eastern
side of the Andes mountain range are the most determining factors for
Bolivia’s climate. The south western part of the country mainly
consists of highlands (the Bolivian Highlands). Its highest peaks are
Illampu (6,362 meters) and Nevado Sajama (6,542 meters). These
altitudes determine the range of temperatures here. The situation on
the eastern side of the Andes mountain range makes this a (very) dry
area. The eastern border of the highland is slightly wetter because of
the rain that comes from the Amazon. The northern and eastern parts of
Bolivia consist of lowlands; which is a part of the Amazon. Several
rivers that flow into the Amazon River originate in Bolivia.
Climate information of places and areas in Bolivia
The climate information on this page is only brief. Specific
information about weather and climate can be found on the climate
pages per area or town. As for Bolivia the following climate
information is available:
Climate types
The western and south western parts of Bolivia have a combination of
desert and steppe climates. The higher regions in the Andes have a
high mountain climate or alpine climate. Because of the high altitudes
temperatures are much lower than in the rest of Bolivia. Precipitation
is uncommon here; this makes the area one of the drier regions in
South America. The eastern part of the highlands which extends
vertically over a distance of 100-200 kilometers has a mixture of
several climate types, often referred to as subtropical. A subtropical
climate consists of several climate types such as a warm sea climate,
a warm China climate and a moderate steppe climate. Temperatures are
high, but not high enough to be referred to as a warm or tropical
climate. The exact type of climate depends on the location you are in.
The lowlands of Bolivia have tropical climates; the largest part has a
tropical savannah climate (Type Aw). Several smaller areas have a
tropical rainforest climate or a tropical monsoon climate which has a
monsoon period, or rainy period.
Precipitation
Bolivia’s summer (from January up to and including February) is the
wettest period. Depending on the location you are in about 15-400
millimeters of rain per month can be expected. During the winter there
is about 0-100 millimeters of rain. However, the highest figures can
only be expected very locally and do not occur that often. Winters are
(very) dry in Bolivia. During the winter snowfall can be expected. On
the highest peaks snowfall may occur all year round, there is also
perennial snow here.
Temperatures
The average temperatures based on long time recordings show a large
diversity. The average recordings are based on the location and
altitude. The actual temperatures are unpredictable. If you take the
city of La Paz for example, which is located at an altitude of 3,500
meters you will find that the average minimum and maximum temperatures
show minor differences. However, the extremes in temperatures are much
higher so average temperatures are of little use in this case. In the
north east these differences are much smaller and the temperature
range is reasonably constant.
Climate figures
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate
records. They are an average for the city of La Paz and cannot be seen
as an average for Bolivia. Please visit the individual pages for
climate information on other places and regions in Bolivia.
More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of
the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time.
How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can
often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate
information per month. The information below is an average for the
city of La Paz.
Please visit the individual pages for climate information on other
places and regions in Bolivia.
Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.
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= 0-5 mm ●
= 6-30 mm ●
= 31-60 mm ●
= 61-100 mm ●
= 101-200 mm ●
=
over 200 mm
