CLIMATE ON THE COAST OF PERU

CLIMATE ON THE COAST OF PERU: INFO ON WEATHER & SEASONS. Graphs: hours of sunshine, overcast, rainfall, temperatures, etc.

The climatic conditions along the coast gradually change from semi desert or arid at the border with Ecuador to one of the driest desert climates in the world in the center and south, even though some variations occur, either to still drier conditions or to more humid conditions due to intense fog formation caused by the Humboldt current.

In Capital Lima, rain is rare, even though half of the year, the sky is overcast. During the winter on the southern Hemisphere, from June to October, the temperature may barely reach 20 °C, the sky is overcast and a morning fog or drizzle may bring some precipitation, while humidity is high. In summer, from December to April, the weather often is a bit sunnier but it may still be cloudy; temperatures may get as high as 29 °C. Night temperatures vary from 14 °C in winter to 20 °C in summer. Like anywhere else on the coast of Peru, the climate gets seriously disrupted during El Niño years, when currents from the North bring considerable warmer water to the coast. Air temperatures rise considerably and heavy rains wreak havoc on the desert environments.

Rivers, however flow down from the Andes highlands, thereby bringing water for irrigation, and everywhere around river beds along the coast, one finds irrigated systems and highly productive farms in spite of the desert nature of the climate on the coast of Peru.

An important element of the climate at the coast of Peru, is that the sea water never gets tropically warm due to the Humboldt current, while during long periods of the year the weather does not get very hot either, as the sky is overcast with a deck of clouds from which it rarely rains.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE LIMA, PERU & CLIMATE

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE LIMA, PERU & CLIMATE: CLIMATE DATA ON WEATHER, RAINFALL & SEASONS. Graphs: hours of sunshine, overcast, rainfall, temperatures, etc.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE LIMA, PERU & CLIMATE

Lima, peru, has a rather peculiar climate. Despite being in the tropics, daytime temperatures may be as low as 18 °C in winter (June - September) on a chilly day and 29 °C at a hot day during the summer (January - April); in other words, never very cold nor very hot. Nights vary from 14 °C in winter and 20 °C in summer. Rainfall is minimal, 1 - 60 mm per year, but in spite of that, the skies are usually overcast, except during the winter, which has the most hours of sunshine. Humidity is high throughout the year. During the winter, the skies may be blue, so winter is the best time to visit Lima but Machu Picchu is a different story, where the best weather coincides with the vacation time of North America and Europe.

All this is due to the cooling effect of the cool Humboldt current coming from the Antarctic, bringing cool air on land, where the relatively higher temperatures prevent the formation of rain.

However, during Niño years, when the sea temperatures rise from around 18 °C to above 25 °C. With the water temperature, also the atmospheric temperatures rise and rainfall drastically increases. On the other hand, during Niña years, temperatures drop below average and rainfall is practically absent.

Lima lies at an elevation of about 100 m and has the following climate data:

WHAT AND WHERE ARE THE NAZCA LINES & CLIMATE

BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO VISIT THE NAZCA LINES. Graphs: hours of sunshine, overcast, rainfall, temperatures, etc.

What are the Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs in the desert sands near the city of Nazca, stretche out over an area of about 100,000 ha, with some 300 figures, of abstract lines, animals and plants. Composed of over 10,000 lines, some of which measure 30 meters wide and stretch more than 9 kilometers, the figures are most visible from the air or nearby hilltops.

Where are the Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are located at an elevation of around 500 m about 450 km South-East of Lima in a desert climate, due to the Humboldt current.

The Nazca Lines Climate

Often the days begin with an overcast sky, but clouds disappear by 9:00 - 10:00, allowing for flights over the Nazca lines. Down at the coast of San Fernando National Reserve, the climate is even drier, with hardly any precipitation at all. The little vegetation that one finds there probably depends on moisture brought in by nightly fogs.

As one rises from Nazca to Pampa Galeras, humidity gradually rises, while temperatures fall, which makes for fascinating desert vegetation transitions over very short distances.

The climate in the city of Nazca is even dryer that that of Lima; many days start out being overcast, but then, the skies often clear up by 9:00hrs in the morning, which is important for the flights over the Nazca lines. So, Every day is the best time of the year to visit the Nazca Lines Drawings. Closer to the coast however, in the San Fernando National Reserve, the weather is often very windy and frequently rather chilly. Bring a jacket.

Climate of Nazca

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