Maps are a great way to get an overview of weather patterns in Brazil. The online weather maps created by CPTEC/INPE - the Center for Weather Forecaset and Climate Studies in Brazil - are some of the best.
CPTEC weather maps don't have names of cities. If you need to catch up with the location of cities in Brazil, you can find some great Brazil maps in the About.com Guide to Geography.
For maps showing each and every city in all the Brazilian states, go to IBGE Cidades, by the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute.
An Overview of Brazil Weather Patterns
Go to the CPTEC Weather Monitor.
Here is how to find some of the most useful information on the maps. Remember that dates will appear Brazil style (DD/MM/YYYY).
Most Recent Information About Rainfall in Brazil
The landing page shows the most recent precipitation indexes in Brazil - usually for the same day. A legend below the map makes it easy to understand the color codes for the amount of rainfall (in milimeters).
Now look at the boxes at the left of the main picture for more information.
Recent Number of Days Without Rain in Brazil:
In the top box, which says Monitoramento (Brasil), click on No de dias s/ chuva (number of days without rain). The most recently updated map appears with colors and a legend below the image indicating consecutive days without rain, ranging from 0 to 60.
Rainfall in Brazil by Month
In the second box from the top (Dados Mensais, or Monthly Data), open the Campo drop box. Choose Prec. total. In the drop box below, choose the month and year, then click OK.
The map shows accumulated precipitation (in milimeters) for the period chosen. You can go to the current month in the previous year for a panorama of rainfall patterns for a full period.
Map of Average, Low and High Temperatures in Brazil by Month
Still in Dados Mensais, choose Temp. Média, Temp. mínima or Temp. máxima in the top drop box for average, low or high temperature respectively, then choose the month/year and click OK.
The map shows the average temperature, lows or highs for the chosen month all over Brazil, with a legend in color codes (in Celsius).
Umid. Relat., in the same drop box, stands for relative air humidity.
Weather Information for the Quarter
Where it says Climatologia Trimestral, you can obtain information the same information as above in three-month periods. Click OK to see the map.
Weather Chart for Brazil State Capitals
At the bottom of the box, you will see a drop box that says simply Capitals. To activate it as you come from other drop boxes, you may have to change capitals once. There's no "OK" button - as soon as you click the city's name, the information will download.
A chart appears with blue columns for the average rainfall and an orange line showing temperature variations for that state capital throughout the year.
